Rice production in the United States

rdf:langString Rice production in the United States

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rdf:langString Above: US rice production by county.

rdf:langString Below: Four varieties of rice.

rdf:langString White, Brown, Red & Wild rice.jpg

rdf:langString Rice production is the third largest among cereals in the United States, after corn and wheat. Of the country's row crop farms, rice farms are the most capital-intensive, and have the highest national land rental rate average. In the US, all rice acreage requires irrigation. In 2000-09 approximately 3.1 million acres in the US were under rice production; an increase was expected over the next decade to approximately 3.3 million acres. USA Rice represents rice producers in the six largest rice-producing states of Arkansas, California, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Texas. Historically, rice production in the United States was connected to agriculture using enslaved labor in the American South, first planting African rice and other kinds of rice in the marsh areas in Georgia, South Carolina, and later in the Louisiana territory and Texas frequently in southern plantations. For some regions, this became an important profitable cash crop during the 18th and 19th centuries. During the 20th rice production was introduced to California and Arkansas and the Mississippi Delta in Louisiana. Contemporary rice production in the US includes both Africa, Asian and native varieties from the Americas. Because of rice's long history in the United States, some regions, especially in the American South, have traditional dishes that include rice such as "Hoppin' John", red beans and rice, and jambalaya. These food traditions, have created widely recognized brands such as Ben's Original.