Riceland Foods, Inc. is a farmer-owned rice and soybean marketing cooperative with headquarters in

Stuttgart, Arkansas Stuttgart is a city in and the county seat of the northern district of Arkansas County, Arkansas, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census it had a population of 9,326. Known as the "Rice and Duck Capital of the World", ...

, United States. The cooperative was founded in 1921 and has become a major

rice Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...

and grain

miller A miller is a person who operates a mill, a machine to grind a grain (for example corn or wheat) to make flour. Milling is among the oldest of human occupations. "Miller", "Milne" and other variants are common surnames, as are their equivalents ...

and a global marketer of the same. Approximately 5000 farmers own or deliver to the cooperative which operates six rice mills including the world's largest in

Jonesboro, Arkansas Jonesboro () is a city located on Crowley's Ridge in the northeastern corner of the U.S. State of Arkansas. Jonesboro is one of two county seats of Craighead County, Arkansas, Craighead County. In 2023, the city had an estimated population of ...

. The cooperatives principal purpose is to utilize efficiencies of scale to generate increased farmer returns through receiving, storing, milling, packaging, and

marketing Marketing is the act of acquiring, satisfying and retaining customers. It is one of the primary components of Business administration, business management and commerce. Marketing is usually conducted by the seller, typically a retailer or ma ...

, vegetable oil, meal and byproducts to markets around the globe. Riceland is a

soybean The soybean, soy bean, or soya bean (''Glycine max'') is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean. Soy is a staple crop, the world's most grown legume, and an important animal feed. Soy is a key source o ...

and soy oil processor in the Mississippi Delta region of Arkansas where milling, pressing, packaging and distribution occurs. It refines soybean and other vegetable oils for food service and food manufacturing companies. By-products that are commercially marketed include organic gardening amenities like PBH (pasteurized rice hulls), and rice hull ash which are bio-degradable bio-renewable soil supplement replacements for

perlite Perlite is an amorphous volcanic glass that has a relatively high water content, typically formed by the Hydrate, hydration of obsidian. It occurs naturally and has the unusual property of greatly expanding when heated sufficiently. It is an indu ...

and

vermiculite Vermiculite is a hydrous phyllosilicate mineral which undergoes significant expansion when heated. Exfoliation occurs when the mineral is heated sufficiently; commercial furnaces can routinely produce this effect. Vermiculite forms by the weathe ...

Cooperative Board of Directors

Riceland Foods is led by a

Board of Directors A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulatio ...

elected by the Farmer member owners that deliver grain to the cooperative. In Dec. 9th 2021, they announced an intended $13.2 million expansion to the plan. As of 2021, they employed approximately 1,500 workers companywide.

Leadership

Kevin McGilton was announced as the CEO of Riceland Foods, Inc. on December 8th, 2023. At the time of McGilton's appointment he had been at Riceland Foods for 20 years. Prior to the appointment he served as VP of Government Affairs & Chief of Staff after a long period as VP of Export Sales. Prior to joining Riceland, he worked for USA Rice in Washington, D.C.

Sales as of fiscal year end July 31

Products and Services

Riceland has been responsible for up to one-third (or more) of the total U.S. rice crop. Riceland also sells rice, oil & other grain products to food service distributors, wholesalers, export markets, and in many grocery stores. Rice milling Riceland operates five rice mills and two

parboiling Parboiling (or leaching) is the partial or semi boiling of food as the first step in cooking. The word is from the Old French ''parbouillir'', 'to boil thoroughly' but by mistaken association with "part", it has acquired this definition. The w ...

plants with two major rice milling centers in Stuttgart and Jonesboro, Arkansas. Grain storage Riceland has been listed as a Top 10 grain storage company in the United States. Food service products Riceland supplies rice and oil products to the food service industry. Edible oils Riceland's edible oil refinery at

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...

refines crude oils extracted from soybeans and rice bran into oil and shortening products. Corn, canola, peanut and cottonseed oils are also refined and blended.

References

{{reflist, refs= Grain companies of the United States Food and drink companies based in Arkansas Stuttgart, Arkansas Economy of the Southeastern United States Agricultural cooperatives in the United States Agricultural marketing cooperatives Rice organizations Food and drink companies established in 1921 1921 establishments in Arkansas Rice in the United States Cooperatives based in Arkansas