US Rice Producers Association

What US Rice Producers Association does

US Rice Producers Association (USRPA) is a non-profit trade association founded in 1997 and headquartered in Katy, Texas. It represents rice producers in the six major U.S. rice-producing states — Arkansas, California, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Texas — through six state affiliate members (including the Texas Rice Council and the Louisiana Independent Rice Producers Association) and broader industry membership. The association is described as the only national rice producers' organization comprised by producers, elected by producers, and representing producers across all six states.

USRPA's core activities span five functions: maintaining and enhancing existing domestic and international rice markets; developing new markets for rough, brown, and milled rice exports; providing a producer voice in Washington D.C. legislative and regulatory affairs; educating producers and the public about rice and rice market information; and expanding industry research. Operational deliverables include the weekly "Rice Advocate" newsletter distributed to 5,000+ farmers and industry professionals, the annual Rice Market and Technology Convention (RMTC), regional conferences, the Ray Stoesser Memorial Scholarship ($5,000 annually), USDA Foreign Agricultural Service trade missions, and consumer-facing rice recipes.

The business model is a recurring membership-dues subscription funded by rice producers, industry members, and state affiliates; the organization does not sell products or services in a traditional commercial sense and does not have a proprietary technology platform. Revenue mechanics are complemented by ancillary event and sponsorship activity. USRPA's market-development footprint spans the United States, Mexico, Central America (Guatemala, El Salvador), the Caribbean (Haiti), South America (Colombia, Venezuela), East Asia (Japan, Taiwan), the Middle East (Iraq), and Canada. Leadership is producer-led, with Eric Hover serving as Chairman and Mollie Buckler appointed President and CEO.

Name

US Rice Producers Association

Legal name

US Rice Producers Association

Website

https://usriceproducers.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

US Rice Producers Association is a non-profit trade association founded in 1997 that represents rice producers across six U.S. states through market development, policy advocacy, education, and industry research.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Trade Association Services

NAICS

Rice Farming (11116)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (Fair Trade, Food Access, Regenerative) (BPAGALAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Organic & Natural Foods Import/Export & Global Trading (AFAIAJAK)

Keywords

• Rice producer advocacy
• Agricultural trade association
• Rice market development
• Agricultural policy advocacy
• Rice industry education

Headquarters

HQ city

Katy

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: USRPA generates revenue through membership dues paid by industry members and state affiliate members. Membership provides access to board meetings, regional activities, trade missions, marketing opportunities, and industry information.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

USRPA is a non-profit trade association that represents U.S. rice producers in Arkansas, California, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Texas. It delivers membership services, federal legislative and regulatory advocacy in Washington D.C., international and domestic market development programs, industry education, and research support to maintain and expand markets for U.S. rough, brown, and milled rice.

Product overview

The US Rice Producers Association operates as a membership-based trade organization rather than a software product company. Its core offerings include membership programs for rice producers and industry stakeholders, the weekly Rice Advocate newsletter, the annual Ray Stoesser Memorial Scholarship, international trade and market development programs, Washington D.C. advocacy services, and consumer education resources including rice recipes. The association does not offer a technology product platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• USRPA Membership Program Membership program for rice producers, industry members, and state affiliates. Members receive access to board meetings, trade mission opportunities, industry updates, and networking with the U.S. rice industry.
• Rice Advocate Newsletter
• Ray Stoesser Memorial Scholarship
• International Trade Programs
• Washington D.C. Advocacy Services
• Guatemala Cooking Class Program (Clase de Cocina en Vivo)
• Rice Recipes Resource

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• National Milk Producers FederationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 April 2026Agricultural coalition partner in filing public comments to USTR urging expansion of Section 301 trade investigations to cover agriculture, citing structural harm from foreign subsidies and overcapacity.
• U.S. Dairy Export CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 April 2026Agricultural coalition partner in filing public comments to USTR on trade investigations related to agriculture.
• American Sugar AllianceminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 April 2026Agricultural coalition partner in filing public comments to USTR on trade investigations related to agriculture.
• American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 March 2026AFBF led a letter to the President addressing economic pressures facing the farm economy. USRPA signed onto the letter alongside 50+ other agricultural trade associations. Key issues highlighted include increasing input costs due to Strait of Hormuz closure.
• USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 13 February 2026USRPA participates in USDA FAS trade missions and maintains ongoing engagement with FAS Administrator Daniel Whitley. The association conducts international market development activities under USDA programs.
• FECARROZ (Central American Rice Milling Federation)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 January 2026USRPA worked with FECARROZ to address rice mislabeling issues in El Salvador. FECARROZ brought the mislabeling issue to USRPA's attention, leading to advocacy for fair treatment of U.S. rice exports and clear labeling standards. This collaboration resulted in provisions in the U.S.-El Salvador Agreement on Reciprocal Trade.
• United States Trade Representative (USTR)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 29 January 2026USTR negotiated the U.S.-El Salvador Agreement on Reciprocal Trade, which includes provisions to prevent rice mislabeling practices that unfairly disadvantage U.S. rice in key markets.
• USDA Trade Under Secretary Luke LindbergcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 2 August 2025USDA Trade Under Secretary confirmed by Senate to oversee Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs (TFAA). Lindberg is responsible for overseeing McGovern-Dole Food for Education Program and Food for Progress program, and has worked on restructuring Food for Peace program.
• Texas Rice CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025State affiliate organization representing Texas rice producers. USRPA coordinates with TRC on industry meetings, legislative activities, and market development initiatives.
• Louisiana Independent Rice Producers Association (LIRPA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025State affiliate organization representing Louisiana rice producers. LIRPA holds annual meetings and coordinates with USRPA on industry advocacy and the South Louisiana Rail Facility.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• American Farm Bureau Federation: Largest U.S. general farm trade association and the umbrella convener that led the multi-association letter to the President that USRPA signed. AFBF is the broad incumbent that aggregates commodity-specific associations like USRPA into federal policy advocacy.
• National Cotton Council of America: U.S. cotton industry's central trade association combining producer representation, policy advocacy, and export promotion. Operates a multi-state, dues-funded mandate structurally analogous to USRPA's.
• National Milk Producers Federation: National trade association for U.S. dairy producers operating a similar dues-funded advocacy, policy, and market development model. USRPA is an active coalition partner with NMPF on Section 301 and trade policy, making NMPF a structural peer in operating model and policy posture.
• National Corn Growers Association: Large U.S. commodity grower association combining policy advocacy, market development, and research. Operates a substantially scaled-up version of USRPA's producer-led trade association model and competes for federal farm bill resources.
• American Sugar Alliance: Trade association representing U.S. sugar producers with a comparable advocacy-and-market-development mandate. A fellow Section 301 coalition partner, the alliance operates the same dues-based trade association playbook for a different specialty crop.
• American Soybean Association: National commodity grower association representing U.S. soybean farmers with a similar advocacy, international marketing, and USDA-coordination structure. Comparable operating model for a different crop constituency.

Emerging players

• Southern U.S. Trade Association: Non-profit agricultural trade group that promotes U.S. specialty crops from southern states in international markets. Overlaps with USRPA's international trade mission focus on southern states (Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, Arkansas) and specialty crop promotion.

Direct peers

• U.S. Wheat Associates: U.S. Wheat Associates is the export market development organization for the U.S. wheat industry. It runs an internationally focused trade-mission and consumer-promotion model that closely mirrors USRPA's international programs, particularly in Latin America and Asia.
• USA Rice Federation: USA Rice is the other major national rice industry association representing the U.S. rice sector (millers, handlers, and allied businesses). It directly overlaps USRPA's mandate on legislative advocacy and market development, and the two organizations coexist as the dominant trade voices for U.S. rice.
• U.S. Grains Council: Export market development organization for U.S. grains including corn, sorghum, barley, and co-products. Closely comparable to USRPA's international market development function with overseas offices and trade mission programming.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/usrpa
• Instagraminstagram.com/usriceproducers
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/us-rice-producers-association
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@usriceproducers
• Xx.com/RiceProducers

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about US Rice Producers Association