Consolidation and Structural Change in the U.S. Rice Sector

by Katherine Baldwin, Erik Dohlman, Nathan Childs, and Linda Foreman

This report examines how the structure of the U.S. rice industry has evolved over the past two decades, including a reduction in the number of farms, increased average farm size, and the shifting concentration of rice production away from higher-cost production regions. The authors analyze the economic factors driving these structural changes and explore the implications of those changes for market efficiency and competitiveness of the U.S. rice industry.

Keywords: rice, production, yields, harvested area, cost of production, farm size, farm numbers, net returns, consolidation, structural change, startup costs, barriers to entry, ownership arrangements

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