The Rice Stuff

Arkansas farmers Joe Mencer and Jeff Rutledge stopped by the studio for a frank conversation with hosts Michael Klein and Caroline Slack about the need for a final Farm Bill and the pressing issues like soaring fertilizer costs, market manipulation, and the overall stress in the agricultural economy that are pushing many out of farming. Then Michael and Caroline visit with Steve Lerch, author of "Innovate: Igniting a Culture of Curiosity and Perpetual Improvement."

Buy Steve's book With special guests:

• Joe Mencer, Arkansas farmer
• Jeff Rutledge, Arkansas farmer
• Steve Lerch, author

Hosted by: Michael Klein and Caroline Slack

How is AI reshaping agriculture, and are farmers truly ready to embrace it? In this episode, we dive into the skepticism surrounding AI's role in farming, exploring its real-world applications and limitations. From enhancing crop management to aiding in equipment repairs, AI promises efficiency but raises concerns about data privacy, the potential for job displacement, and a rise in non-expert experts. Join us as we unpack insights from farmers, researchers, equipment manufacturers, and tech experts to unveil the future of AI in the agricultural sector. With special guests:

• Adam Famoso, LSU AgCenter
• Whitney Brim-DeForest, UC Davis
• Christian Richard, Louisiana Rice Farmer
• Leo LaGrande, California Rice Farmer
• Jackson Baca, John Deere
• Steve Lerch, Author
• HAL 9000, Fictional Supercomputer
• Ian Malcolm, Fictional Mathematician

Hosted by: Michael Klein and Caroline Slack

How do weeds impact rice production, and what can be done to manage them effectively? In this episode of the Rice Stuff Podcast, expert weed scientists discuss the challenges of weed control in rice farming, including the complexities of herbicides and the rise of resistant weed species. They share insights on innovative techniques and the role of flooding in weed management. Dive into the science behind rice cultivation and learn how modern strategies are evolving to tackle these persistent agricultural challenges. With special guests:

• Jason Bond of the Mississippi State Delta Research and Extension Center
• Sam Rustom, assistant professor and extension rice specialist at Texas A&M
• Conner Webster, extension rice weed specialist for the LSU AgCenter
• Jason Norsworthy of the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture

Hosted by: Steve Linscombe

We're going to look at rice industry careers in this frank and heartfelt discussion. We'll meet two new USA Rice staff: Caroline Slack who is joining the communications and content team and will be your co-host going forward and Mollie Buckler, who brings her experience from a rival organization to grower relations and Asia market access. We also celebrate the long ag engineering career of Dr. Tim Burcham, who is retiring as the director of the Northeast Rice Research and Extension Center. Everyone talks about their journeys, their inspirations, and what they learned along the way. All that, and a tribute to USA Rice's Deborah Willenborg who also retired this year. With special guests: Mollie Buckler, USA Rice and Dr. Tim Burcham, Northeast Rice Research & Extension Center

Hosted by: Michael Klein and Caroline Slack

How do we bridge the gap between agriculture and the food on our plates? In this lively episode, Michael Klein and Deborah Willenborg sit down with Jerry Hagstrom, a seasoned ag journalist, at a bustling Georgetown restaurant. They delve into the evolution of agricultural journalism, the challenges of covering Congress, and Jerry's unique insights on food's role in agriculture. Discover how personal experiences shape journalism and the surprising connections between farmers and chefs. Tune in for an engaging meal of stories!

https://www.hagstromreport.com https://www.naaj.net/naaj-hillgren-scholarship

With special guest: Jerry Hagstom, The Hagstrom Report & National Journal Hosted by: Michael Klein and Deborah Willenborg

Join hosts Michael Klein and Morgan Crafton as they recount their trip to the 2026 National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago. They share interviews with Pei Wu of Mochi Foods who is using all California Rice, the passionate team from Riceland Foods, Steve Hilsdon of Della Rice who is all about unique partnerships, and Michael talks trends and strategy with industry expert Kevin Gross of Kinetic12. All that, plus interesting Coke flavors, flying pretzels, and more.

With special guests:

• Pei Wu, CEO & Founder, Mochi Foods
• Kevin Gross, Senior Partner, Kinetic12
• Hayley Pittman Smith, National Sales Director, Riceland Foods
• Lynsey Russell, Director of Food Service Sales, Riceland Foods
• Stephen Hilsdon, Owner, Della Rice

Hosted by: Michael Klein and Morgan Crafton

The rough rice futures contract is a little understood device intended to provide price discovery and risk management. From humble beginnings in New Orleans, the rough rice contract grew into a vitally important tool that has helped the U.S. rice industry compete in the global market. Michael Klein went back to the very beginning to talk with Jerry Morris who was at the table when the contract was just a concept and still trades today. Brian King explains how the contract is used, Fred Seamon talks the basics of futures, and Randy McNeil shares how the rice merchants fit in. With special guests:

• Jerry Morris
• Randy McNeil, President, Poinsett Rice & Grain
• Brian King, Owner, K & T Agri
• Fred Seamon, Executive Director, Agricultural Markets, CME Group

Hosted by: Michael Klein

USA Rice's Cameron Jacobs joins Michael Klein to talk about last year's U.S. jasmine rice promotion campaign. They discuss the reasoning behind the outreach, target development, creative creation, tactics, methodology, and results. Plus Cameron shares some breaking news and offers a peek at future promotions. And given the timing, they take a look back at the 2026 NCAA March Madness campaign, that for Michael was much less successful than the jasmine campaign.

With special guest: Cameron Jacobs, VP Domestic Promotion & March Madness Pool Commissioner, USA Rice Hosted by: Michael Klein

Michael went to Anaheim, California for one of the largest and most influential food shows in the country. He stalked the aisles finding new products and old friends, caught up with several USA Rice members who were there to rep U.S.-grown rice, and walked more than 45,000 steps for the pod. Listen in to learn about new rice uses, new companies, rice innovation, and more.

• https://www.batchfoods.co
• https://www.kevinsnaturalfoods.com
• https://www.dainty.ca
• https://www.dellarice.com
• https://www.nextgenfoods.com
• https://www.exceedientfoods.com
• https://www.lundberg.com
• https://www.chefbobo.com
• https://www.oliviascroutons.com
• https://www.raisedglutenfree.com

With special guests:

• Bryce Lundberg, VP of Agriculture, Lundberg Family Farms
• Brita Lundberg, Communications Manager, Lundberg Family Farms
• Meryl Kennedy, CEO, 4Sisters Rice
• Steve Choi, Director of R&D, Chef Bobo Brand
• Michael Bosworth, CEO, Next Generation Foods
• Rick Rhody, CEO, Expedient Foods and Farmers' Rice Cooperative
• Charley Mathews, Jr., Chair, Farmers' Rice Cooperative
• Aidan Anvaripour, Founder, Batch Foods
• Chiedu Okeke, Director of Procurement, Kevin's Natural Foods
• Eric Martindale, Founder, Elite Commerce Group
• Jeff Clarke, VP of Sales, Specialty Rice, Inc.
• James Maitland, CEO, Dainty Foods and Dainty Foods US

Hosted by: Michael Klein

Steve Linscombe has assembled rice breeding experts to talk about U.S. grain quality and what they are doing to improve it. From fissuring and milling yields to farm gate value and consumer preferences, join us for this important discussion. With special guests: Dr. Maria Montiel, Rice Breeder, HorizonAg, Dr. Tim Walker, CEO, HorizonAg, and Dr. Adam Famoso, Professor, LSU AgCenter

Hosted by: Steve Linscombe and Michael Klein

Michael Klein reports from a packed USA Rice Farm Policy Fly-In in D.C., where growers discussed rising input costs, trade pressures, emergency assistance, world rice stocks, planting intentions, and more. USA Rice members Paul T. Combs and Fred Zaunbrecher talked planting strategy and rice's reception on Capitol Hill. USDA senior leaders shared their thoughts on the ag economy, and then recently retired USDA ag economist Nathan Childs was honored and sat down to share his uncensored thoughts on applied economics, agriculture, the PIK years, market instability and how to counteract it, and learning from history.

With special guests:

• Nathan Childs, USDA-ERS (Retired)
• Paul T. Combs, Sunrise Land Company
• Fred Zaunbrecher, Chair, USA Rice Farmers Board of Directors
• Richard Fordyce, Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation, USDA
• Stephen Vaden, Deputy Secretary of Agriculture, USDA

Hosted by: Michael Klein

Join Steve Linscombe and the members of 2025 Rice Leadership Development Alumni Program's trip to South America as they share the insights they gained on this valuable trip. Louisiana's Christian Richard and Eric Unkel, Arkansas' Brad Doyle, and Missouri's David Martin, along with Tim Walker and Peter Bachmann talk about the focus on quality, technology, and collaboration among farmers in this important rice producing region. The trip, sponsored by American Commodity Company, John Deere, RiceTec, and Supreme Rice, offered valuable lessons for the entire U.S. rice industry. With special guests:

• Peter Bachmann, President & CEO, USA Rice
• Brad Doyle
• David Martin
• Christian Richard
• Eric Unkel
• Tim Walker

Hosted by: Steve Linscombe and Michael Klein

The 2025 USA Rice Outlook Conference was a record-setting success. One widely-attended session on the FMC Stage was "Brewing and Beyond." Michael Klein was joined by food scientist Dr. Scott Lafontaine, Exceedient Foods' Derek Alarcon, and from J.T. Meleck Distillers Emily Meyers. From rice varieties and gel temps to flavor profiles and being a whiskey taster, the panel unpacked a lot of innovation. Learn more at: https://www.exceedientfoods.com https://www.food-science.uark.edu https://www.jtmeleck.com @jtmeleck2.0 With special guests: Dr. Scott Lafontaine, University of Arkansas Center for Beverage Innovation and Derek Alarcon, Exceedient Foods, Farmers' Rice Cooperative, and Emily Meyers, J.T. Meleck Distillers Hosted by: Michael Klein

Crafting a global marketing strategy for U.S.-grown rice is a heavy lift. Hosts Michael Klein and first-time co-host Cameron Jacobs dive into international marketing with Corey Hayes and Liz Deets, co-founders of Get Back Here Dog, the full service agency working with USA Rice. They discuss creating a global digital playbook everyone can draw from no matter the market and how authenticity, strategy and a love of rice fuel their creative approach.

With special guests:

Liz Deets, Co-founder, Get Back Here Dog and Corey Hayes, Co-founder, Get Back Here Dog

Hosted by:

Michael Klein and Cameron Jacobs

Michael Klein was back in Crowley, Louisiana for the 88th International Rice Festival and has returned with interviews with the Chef De Riz, the Rice Farmer of the Year, the 87th and 88th International Rice Festival Queens, and guest judges and USA Rice members Kirk and Bridget Satterfield and Jim and Lesli Whitaker. Deborah Willenborg sits in the cohost chair with recollections of past festivals.

With special guests:

• Katherine Richard, 2025 Chef de Riz
• Eric Unkle, 2025 Rice Farmer of the Year
• Alana Abshire, 87th International Rice Festival Queen
• Ansley Dawson, 88th International Rice Festival Queen
• Kirk Satterfield, Mississippi Rice Farmer
• Bridget Satterfield
• Jim Whitaker, Arkansas Rice Farmer
• Lesli Whitaker

Hosted by:

Michael Klein and Deborah Willenborg

USA Rice's Chain Engagement Program brings U.S.-grown rice concepts and information to restaurant operators of all sizes. It also brings culinary and marketing teams to farms and mills to make deeper connections. In October 2025, USA Rice brought a team from the Salad Collective, operators of Mad Greens, Snappy Salads, and Tokyo Joe's, to California during harvest. Their schedule was packed, touring Farmers' Rice Cooperative, Christine Wylie's seed operation, and Charley Mathews Jr's dryer and farm, as well as seeing wildlife and water management up close. Michael was on the tour and sat down with Cameron Jacobs to talk about the concepts as well as tour participants.

With special guests:

Chef Jeff DiSanto, Director of Culinary, Salad Collective, Dawn Whittenburg, Director of Marketing, Tokyo Joe's, and Cameron Jacobs, VP of Domestic Promotion, USA Rice

Hosted by:

Michael Klein and Deborah Willenborg

The 2025 National Association of State Departments of Agriculture held their annual meeting in Northwest Arkansas. The event brought ag commissioners and secretaries from all 50 states and several territories, as well as delegations from major trading partners, Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins for several days of policy meetings, networking, and more. Michael caught up with Louisiana's Commissioner Dr. Mike Strain and Arkansas Secretary of Agriculture and event host Wes Ward for on the spot reports.

With special guests:

Dr. Mike Strain, Louisiana Commissioner of Agriculture and Forestry and Wes Ward, Arkansas Secretary of Agriculture

Hosted by:

Micheal Klein

How are Texas rice farmers battling an insect that's devastating their crops? In this urgent episode, experts detail the impact of the invasive rice delphacid and its link to a major plant virus. Get insights from farmers, researchers and entomologists on current challenges, control methods, and why this pest is a growing threat across the Southern U.S. Don't miss this revealing look at rice farming under siege.

With special guests:

• Dr. Lina Bernaola, Entomologist, Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension
• Dr. Sam Rustom, Weed Scientist, Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension
• Cliff Mock, Texas rice farmer & crop consultant

Hosted by:

Steve Linscombe and Michael Klein

It's the most wonderful time of year: National Rice Month! This year is the 35th Anniversary and co-hosts Michael Klein and Asiha Grigsby are joined by USA Rice's Cameron Jacobs and Deborah Willenborg to talk all things NRM. From newsletters, influencers, and the 10th annual NRM Video Scholarship contest, to restaurant partners Fuzzy's Taco Shop and Rock N Roll Sushi, and shelf talkers in 1,000 supermarkets, it will be difficult to avoid NRM messaging! Plus, cook offs, massive rice donations, and a sneak peek of the all new U.S. jasmine ad campaign. Dig in and Think Rice!

https://www.thinkrice.com/jasmine https://www.reelricecontest.com https://www.youtube.com/@TheUsaRiceFederation

With special guests:

Cameron Jacobs, USA Rice and Deborah Willenborg, USA Rice

Hosted by:

Michael Klein and Asiha Grigsby

Host Michael Klein sits down with USA Rice Chair and Producers Rice Mill CEO Keith Glover to discuss trade, tariffs, export trends, market disruption, sustainability, and more. From reciprocal tariff policies to freight rail performance, Glover covers the challenges and opportunities confronting the U.S. rice industry.

With special guest:

Keith Glover, President & CEO Producers Rice Mill, Chair USA Rice

Hosted by:

Michael Klein