The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency has announced that final payments for the Rice Production Program (RPP) are planned to go out in the next week.

The RPP is a $250 million assistance program for U.S. rice farmers who experienced stagnant rice prices and record-high input costs during the 2022 crop year.

Rice farmers who were approved and received a first-round payment will not be required to submit a new application. 

The final payment rate will be 0.28 cent per pound based on previously reported data, bringing overall assistance to a total of 1.28 cent per pound for crop year 2022. A factor of 60% will be applied to prevented planted acres.

Funding for the program was championed by Senator John Boozman (R-AR) and included in the 2023 Consolidated Appropriations Act.

Additional RPP program information can be found here.