Producers Rice Mill of Stuttgart President and CEO Keith Glover has been elected chair of USA Rice, the national trade association for the $34 billion U.S. rice industry.
Glover’s two-year term concludes on July 31, 2026.
As chair, he’ll oversee a trade group that represents farmers, millers, end users, exporters, and other allied businesses through independent boards of directors that represent different industry segments.
In a news release, USA Rice said Glover takes the helm at a crucial time for the rice industry and Arkansas, the top rice producer in the nation. Planted rice acres are up in the state, but uncertainty surrounds the industry, with unknown timing for Congress to pass a much-needed new Farm Bill and turbulence in key Southern rice export markets like Haiti and the Middle East slowing demand.
“This is a pivotal time to help continue advocacy for export markets, grow the domestic rice market, and secure a strong farm safety net,” the group said.
Glover, a Carlisle native, is a graduate of Arkansas State University. He was been with Producers Rice Mill for 42 years – 36 of them as president and CEO – and has served in many leadership roles within the industry, including chair of the USA Rice Millers’ Association board of directors. He has also been chair the World Market Price Subcommittee since 2015, where he works with industry and government officials to analyze global rice markets.
“I am honored to have been voted into this position by my peers, clients, customers, and members,” Glover said in a statement. “We are a resilient, strong, and forward-looking industry, and we will tackle our issues head on and united.
“My priorities are to see a Farm Bill through that improves the farm safety net through a long-overdue adjustment of reference prices, the continued focus on the U.S. rice industry’s world-leading climate commitments, and working to insure the long term sustainability of our great industry.”
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