Riceland Foods Reports More Than $1B in Revenue at Annual Meeting

Riceland Foods CEO Kevin McGilton (Provided)

Riceland Foods of Stuttgart reported more than $1.15 billion in revenue during the cooperative’s annual membership meeting in Jonesboro on Thursday.

At the event, Riceland’s CFO Craig Parr gave the financial results for the company’s fiscal year 2025.

The organization reported a total revenue of $1.15 billion, with a distribution to members of $709 million. Parr also shared specific figures for the long grain rice and soybean seasonal pools, which paid $6.59 and $10.34 per bushel, respectively.

Riceland CEO Kevin McGilton shared the current state of the cooperative and the business outlook. The program highlighted the 2025 Riceland In-Depth Leadership Class, the Riceland Foods Foundation’s ten scholarship recipients, the cooperative’s retiring Board of Directors members and accomplishments of staff members throughout the program.

“When I look into the future and evaluate the current market dynamics that are playing out in agriculture, I am confident our cooperative is in the best position to help our farmer-members limit their risk,” McGilton said in a press release. “With many factors out of our members’ control, Riceland gives them the best opportunity to get their crops out of the field quickly, the marketing options they need to limit price risk, and additional opportunities for farm revenue and goods or services for free or at discounted rates.”

Three retiring directors from the Riceland Board of Directors were recognized: the late John Cooper of Wynne, who served 24 years on the cooperative’s board of directors; Donald Morton Jr. of Des Arc, who served 19 years; and Kevin Fisher of Wynne, who served eight years. McGilton also recognized Roger Pohlner of Fisher for his 12 years of service as the past chairman of the board. Pohlner still serves as a director on the Riceland Board of Directors.

“Being a member of this co-op has value. It was times like we are enduring right now that really were the catalyst to form Riceland many years ago,” Riceland’s Chairman of the Board of Directors Rich Hillman said at the event. “Our forefathers knew that collectively we were stronger than we were individually. I’m so proud to be a small part of a collective of other farmers, staff members, and hardworking employees who make up what we know as our coop, Riceland Foods.”

Grow for Good

2025 marked the fifth anniversary of the Grow Good Awards, Riceland’s employee-led recognition program. The program got a refresh with new award categories designed to better reflect the cooperative.

KC Capers, senior manager of training and culture, recognized the contributions of 12 employees and three teams who were nominated by their peers this year. The 2025 Grow Good Awards were broken down into five categories.

• The Carl Brothers Service Award honors longevity and dedication, recognizing those who have given 20 years or more of service to the cooperative. Riceland headquarters employee Martha Frizzell was awarded the Carl Brothers Service Award for her 62 years of service to the cooperative.
• The Sprout award celebrates a standout newcomer who’s made an immediate impact within their first five years. Blayze Byers, Riceland Soy Division employee, won the Sprout.
• The Heart of the Co-op Award recognizes someone who lives out Riceland’s mission in everything they do. Gail Cantrell from the Pendleton Drier location was awarded the Heart of the Co-Op Award.
• The Pride of the Plant award honors a team member who exemplifies precision, consistency, and excellence in operations. Kurt Briggs from the Newport Drier location won the Pride of the Plant Award.
• The Teamwork Makes the Yield award celebrates collaboration at its best, teams that overcome challenges and lift one another up to reach shared goals. The Stuttgart Rice Division Safety Committee was awarded the Teamwork Makes the Yield Award.

The cooperative also featured industry-led breakout sessions on crop insurance, the cooperative’s federal and state policy work through its government affairs team, a deep dive into Riceland’s drier strategy and storage plans for the future, marketing options for farmer-members, and information on the Riceland Carbon Ready Program and the program’s new partnership for members’ grain bin management systems.

“We launched the breakout sessions at last year’s annual meeting in Stuttgart, and we wanted to bring the opportunity for our members to come together here in Jonesboro,” McGilton said in the release. “It is important to us to provide our members with support tools and resources that are relevant to their day-to-day operations and support their needs.”