Which state leads in rice?
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Answer
Biscuit's fun facts
Much of the story starts on the Grand Prairie, a flat stretch of eastern Arkansas that was once a large native grassland. The Encyclopedia of Arkansas says that beneath the topsoil lies a deep layer of dense clay that water cannot penetrate (cannot soak through). Under that sat the Mississippi River Valley Alluvial Aquifer (a huge store of water underground), which at first seemed endless. So the land seemed ideal for crops that need flooding, like rice.
Who says so: Encyclopedia of Arkansas (Central Arkansas Library System) (opens in a new tab)
Before rice, the German immigrants who founded the town of Stuttgart in 1878 mostly raised cattle and cut hay. Slovak immigrants who came in the 1890s also mostly cut hay. Systematic rice farming in Arkansas began on the Grand Prairie in 1897, started by William H. Fuller. It proved not only possible but profitable, and most of the leftover native prairie was plowed for rice. Farmers drilled wells and pumped groundwater onto their fields.
Who says so: Encyclopedia of Arkansas (Central Arkansas Library System) (opens in a new tab)
Compare
Rice (cwt, by state, 2024)
Note: measured in hundredweight (100 lb). Only the top states are shown; ranks can shift between years. Only the top states are shown here — smaller producers (and states USDA doesn't publish) aren't listed.
Recap
📋 See the ranking table (top 6)
| Rank | State | Value | Share of U.S. total |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Arkansas | 109,262,000 cwt (100 lb) | 49.1% |
| #2 | California | 40,387,000 cwt (100 lb) | 18.1% |
| #3 | Louisiana | 30,611,000 cwt (100 lb) | 13.8% |
| #4 | Missouri | 18,040,000 cwt (100 lb) | 8.1% |
| #5 | Texas | 12,676,000 cwt (100 lb) | 5.7% |
| #6 | Mississippi | 11,613,000 cwt (100 lb) | 5.2% |
| 🇺🇸 USA (total) | 222,589,000 cwt (100 lb) | 100% |
Only the top states are shown here — smaller producers (and states USDA doesn't publish) aren't listed.
Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (2024)