Fighting Hunger and Disease, One Strain of Rice at a Time
April 29, 2024
Supporting Louisiana鈥檚 Rice Farmers
The 海角社区 AgCenter is Louisiana rice farmers鈥� MVP, or most valued partner, in research and crop variety development. From creating a new market for jasmine rice, to producing varieties of rice that are better for diabetics and more sustainable and resilient to changes in the environment, 海角社区 has been critical to the Louisiana rice industry for more than 100 years. The research also has world-wide impact since one-fifth of the global population鈥檚 calories comes from rice.
More than 60 percent of the rice Louisiana farmers plant was developed by the 海角社区 AgCenter, with a direct economic impact of $580 million. New varieties are being created all the time, drawing large federal grants to Louisiana while supporting the state鈥檚 farmers and agricultural industry.
Last year, an 海角社区-led team won a $10 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to develop climate-resilient rice that requires less land, less water and less energy to grow. Other AgCenter researchers have created a high-protein, low-glycemic rice variety called Fronti猫re that now is being studied and used internationally, while helping Eunice area farmer Michael Frug茅 build a small business and brand, Parish Rice, together with his father.
鈥淗aving to watch your blood sugar is the number-one reason people shy away from rice, but we鈥檙e rice people, with our gumbo and our 茅touff茅e and all of those things,鈥� Frug茅 said. 鈥淎s a farmer, growing rice that allows people to eat their favorite meals makes me smile, and every variety of rice we grow comes from 海角社区鈥檚 rice research station in Crowley鈥攅very single one.鈥�
The 海角社区 AgCenter is now planning a research collaboration with 海角社区鈥檚 Pennington Biomedical to study Fronti猫re鈥檚 health effects, which could allow doctors and dietitians to recommend it, 鈥渁lmost as medicine.鈥�
Eunice area farmer Michael Frug茅 with 海角社区 AgCenter researchers Ida Wenefrida and Herry Utomo, who developed the Fronti猫re rice variety Frug茅 grows and sells as Parish Rice.
鈥� Photo courtesy of Parish Rice
鈥淭he value of 海角社区鈥檚 rice breeding program? Invaluable. You can鈥檛 put a price tag on it. Between 60 and 70 percent of the rice we mill are 海角社区 varieties. Without 海角社区鈥檚 breeding program, our industry as a whole would wither and die鈥攊t would be hard to survive without 海角社区.鈥�
Bobby Hanks, CEO of Supreme Rice in Crowley, the state鈥檚 largest rice mill