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Serving as the 2022-2023 Louisiana Rice Research Board are, bottom row from left, Damian Bollich; Dane Hebert, vice chairman; Richard Fontenot, chairman; John Denison, secretary and treasurer; and Lester Cannon, Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry. On the top row, from left, are Jude Doise, Alan Lawson, Kim Frey, Gerald Leonards, Eric Savant, David LaCour and Jeffery Sylvester. Not pictured are Jason Waller, Sammy Noel and John Earles. Photo by Derek Albert/LSU AgCenter
A quiet year without a storm? As we reflect on 2022, it depends on who you ask and how you define this past year’s rice season. Louisiana was spared from tropical storms and hurricanes, but we did face one of the toughest harvest seasons in my career. You put on top of that the most expensive rice crop I have put in the ground so far. These challenges were common throughout the state for most of the season apart from good harvest weather for our northeast producers later in the year.
Our Rice Research Station was subjected to all the challenges we experienced last year as well. They have persevered once again in their efforts to bring some of the best scientific and cutting-edge information back to our producers and farms. I congratulate our station directors on bringing in new staff in 2022, making sure all areas of our production system are being investigated, and ensuring that we have timely information available to us for our 2023 season.
As time brings about change among topics such as climate and sustainability, so must our research efforts at the station adapt to help our producers identify the value to producers and production systems that allow for these new requirements in the future. Rest assured, your board is not only focusing on the future, but also never forgetting the past that brought us here.
It is your continued support and funding of the Louisiana Rice Research board through your checkoff dollars that have generated outstanding returns to all the Louisiana rice growers.
Richard Fontenot, Chairman
Louisiana Rice Research Board
