A Global Staple
PDF
• Rice is the primary staple for more than half the world’s population, with Asia and Africa being the largest consuming regions.
• Developing countries have long depended on its versatility and high caloric value.
• The United States is the second largest exporter of rice, (first is Thailand). The United States now exports about half of all the rice it grows.
There are four major types of rice produced and traded worldwide:
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- Indica - Long-grain rice grown mostly in tropical and subtropical regions; accounts for more than 75 percent of global trade. Cooks dry, with separate grains.
- Japonica - Medium or short-grain rice, typically grown in regions with cooler climates; accounts for more than 10 percent of global rice trade.
- Aromatic - Primarily jasmine from Thailand and basmati from India and Pakistan; accounts for more than 10 percent of global trade and typically sells at a premium in world markets.
- Glutinous - Grown mostly in Southeast Asia; used in desserts and ceremonial dishes; accounts for most of the remainder. |
Rice – From Field to Plate PDF
Rice has been produced commercially in America for more than 300 years. Today, rice farming in the United States has become a precise science–a world of specialized equipment, lasers and computers.
Although rice is produced over vast areas of the world, the physical requirements for growing rice are limited to certain areas. Production typically requires high average temperatures during the growing season, a plentiful supply of water applied in a timely fashion, a smooth land surface for uniform flooding and drainage, and a subsoil hardpan that prevents water loss.
Land planes are used to level the land, enabling uniform flooding and controlled draining. Laser guidance systems determine where water control levees will be placed.
Producers in the U.S. can apply seed aerially in dry or flooded fields, or drill or broadcast seed into dry fields. Planting typically begins in early March in Texas.
All U.S. rice is produced in irrigated fields, achieving some of the highest yields in the world. Gravity guides fresh water, pumped from deep wells, nearby rivers, canals or reservoirs to provide constant water depth on the field of 2 to 3 inches during the growing season.
As the seedlings mature, they draw nutrients from the water. The same water keeps the weed population under control. Rice is a unique grass species where its leaves and stems have internal air spaces through which air is collected and passed down to the root cells. Eventually small green flowers take shape and they pollinate, soon rice grains begin to form in their husks. The paddies of rice change from green to golden yellow to the pale color of straw.
When the rice plant matures, the levees are opened, the water is drained and the soil is given time to dry. Harvest begins in early or mid-July using a combine to cut the rough rice from the straw. After rice has been harvested, it is threshed to loosen the hulls. Some producers are able to reflood their fields after harvest and achieve a partial second crop, called a “ratoon,” from the stubble of the first.
Except for rough (unmilled) rice exports and domestic seed sales, virtually all U.S. rice is marketed as a whole-kernel milled product. Once sold, the rice is screened to remove stones, loose chaff and stalks. The rice is then slowly dried by warm air to reduce any moisture and then screened to remove dust particles.
Five different products can be produced from rough rice: hulls, bran, brown rice, whole-kernel milled rice or white rice, and brokens (broken-kernel milled rice).
History PDF
• The rice plant, species Oryza sativa from the grass family, is believed to have originated in Asia as far back as 2500 B.C.
• Some historians believe that rice traveled to America in 1694 in a British ship bound for Madagascar. Blown off course they found safe harbor in Charleston, South Carolina. The captain left rice seed to show his gratitude.
Rice Production Numbers PDF
Top Counties (5 yr. average)
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County |
Production (pounds) |
Harvested Acres |
Yield/Acre
(pounds) |
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1. Wharton |
370.6 mil |
50,300 |
7,367 |
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2. Colorado |
229.3 mil |
31,140 |
7,363 |
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3. Matagorda |
151.4 mil |
22,740 |
6,657 |
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4. Brazoria |
104.4 mil |
14,480 |
7,210 |
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5. Jefferson |
98.5 mil |
18,340 |
5,372 |
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6. Jackson |
94.6 mil |
14,080 |
6,722 |
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7. Chambers |
72.5 mil |
13,300 |
5,451 |
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8. Waller |
64.5 mil |
7,440 |
8,667 |
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9. Liberty |
58.4 mil |
10,060 |
5,805 |
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10. Fort Bend |
55.0 mil |
7,900 |
6,962 |
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Texas Total |
1.4 bil |
204,200 |
6,842 |
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Top States (5 yr. average)
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County |
Production (bushels) |
Harvested Acres |
Yield/Acre
(bushels) |
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1. Arkansas |
10.3 bil |
1,553,800 |
6,605 |
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2. California |
4.2 bil |
524,400 |
8,013 |
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3. Louisiana |
2.9 bil |
517,800 |
5,621 |
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4. Mississippi |
1.6 bil |
247,400 |
6,611 |
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5. Texas |
1.4 bil |
204,200 |
6,842 |
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U.S. Total |
21.6 bil |
3,241,400 |
6,674 |
Rice Production PDF
• The United States is the 12th largest rice producer in the world.
• Four regions produce almost the entire U.S. rice crop:
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Arkansas Grand Prairie
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Sacramento Valley of California
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Gulf Coast (Texas and Southwest Louisiana)
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Mississippi Delta (parts of Arkansas, Mississippi, Missouri, and Louisiana)
Each of these regions specializes in a specific type of rice referred to by length of grain – long, medium, and short
Long-grain Rice
- Grown almost exclusively in the South
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Accounts for more than 70% of U.S. rice production
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Commonly used in frozen dinners, canned soup, and seasoned packaged products
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Typically cooks dry and grains remain separate, not sticky
- Preferred by most of the U.S. population
Medium-grain Rice
- Grown both in California and Arkansas
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Accounts for more than 25% of U.S. rice production
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Used in cereal manufacturing
- Typically cooks moist and clingy
Short-grain Rice
- Grown almost exclusively in California
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Accounts for 1 to 2 % of U.S. rice production
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Used in puddings and desserts
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Cooks moist and sticky
In the United States, rice growing regions also serve as an important habitat for waterfowl and migratory birds and is an example of how properly managed agriculture can enhance the environment. PDF
Rice–In Touch with you Daily PDF
Rice has been a life-sustaining food for thousands of years because it is nutritious, versatile, economical, easy to prepare and it tastes good!
It can be made part of any meal in recipes for soups, salads, main dishes, and desserts.
Rice Forms
- Rough (Paddy) Rice – Rice kernels that are still within the hull. Before rice can be packaged or cooked, the outer hull must be removed.
- Brown Rice – Kernels of rice which have had only the hull removed. Light brown in color caused by the presence of bran layers.
- Parboiled Rice – Rough rice that has gone through a steam pressure process before milling. This gelatinizes the starch and ensures a firmer, more separate grain.
- Precooked Rice – White or brown rice that has been cooked and dehydrated after milling. This reduces the time required for cooking.
- Regular-milled White Rice – Rice that has had the hull and bran layers removed, also called milled rice or polished white rice.
- Enriched Rice - Milled rice whose nutrients are replaced which were lost through the milling process.
Processing & By Products
The properties of rice make it a highly desirable ingredient in processed foods such as cereals, snack foods, baby foods, frozen dinners, sauce thickeners and other products. Each part of the rice grain has many uses:
Rice Bran
- Outer layer on brown rice.
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Gives brown rice its color and nutty flavor.
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Excellent source of thiamin, niacin, vitamin B-6, iron, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium and fiber.
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Used as an ingredient in cereals, mixes, and vitamin concentrates.
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Non-food grades of rice bran are used to feed livestock.
Rice Hull
- Outer covering of the rice kernel, sometimes called the husk.
- Inedible, but not discarded.
- Used as fuel for power plants and rice mills, as mulch, in abrasives, packing materials and many other products.
- Ash from the hulls is used to produce cellulose products such as rayon and rice fuel.
Rice Bran Oil
- Extracted from rice bran.
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High quality cooking oil.
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Effective in reducing cholesterol in the blood.
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Also used in livestock feed.
Brewers Rice
- Smallest size of broken rice fragments, generally less than ¼ length of a whole kernel.
- Used in the process of brewing beer and other fermented products.
Rice Flour
- Ground milled or brown rice used mostly for food processing.
- Extruded to produce rice pasta, chips and other snacks, as well as breakfast cereals and meat products.
- Non-allergenic, gluten-free.
Rice Starch
- Major component of milled rice.
- Present only in the endosperm of the grain, 90 – 93% of the milled rice dry weight.
- Used as a thickener in making sauces and desserts.
Broken Kernels
- Kernels of rice which are less than ¾ length of the whole kernel.
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Used to make various products including laundry starch, rice flour and pet food.
Rice Straw
- Used as fuel or livestock bedding.
- Can also be used to make paper or woven into mats, hats, and other products.
Rice Facts PDF
• Rice is a symbol of life and fertility, which is why it was a tradition to throw at weddings.
• Rice is cultivated in over 100 countries and on every continent except Antarctic.
• Cooked rice swells at least three times its original weight.
• Grains of rice in a salt shaker will help keep salt free flowing due to its moisture absorption qualities.
• 96% of the world’s rice is eaten in the area in which it is grown.
• Wild rice is not true rice but an aquatic grass variety from a different genus.
• There are more than 40,000 varieties of cultivated rice said to exist.
• In Asia rice is considered sacred. In Japan there are shrines to the god of rice.
• Honda means “main rice field.” Toyota means “bountiful rice field.”
• The Chinese word for rice is the same as their word for food.
Rice Nutrition PDF
• Rice is a complex carbohydrate, which fuels the body.
• Rice protein, when compared to other grains, is one of the highest quality proteins.
• Rice has all 8 amino acids, necessary for strong muscles.
• Rice is also a good source of other essential nutrients – thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, phosphorus, iron and potassium.
• Rice contains NO fat, NO cholesterol and NO sodium.
Parts of the Kernel PDF
• In the milling process, the hull is removed to make brown rice.
• If the rice is further milled to remove the bran and germ, the result is white rice.
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