Centennial Celebration for Farmers Rice Mill

By Kane Webb, USA Rice


LAKE CHARLES, LA -- The 100th anniversary celebration for Farmers Rice Milling Company was held Wednesday at the newly expanded packaging and distribution facility here.  More than 450 people attended the event including employees, partners, producers, customers, and local dignitaries.

A ribbon cutting ceremony to inaugurate the newly completed 55,000-square-foot expansion at the facility kicked off the celebration.  Next, Nanette Noland, Farmers Rice Milling Company president, welcomed guests and presented the company history before recognizing long-time employees with 20+ years of service.  "This 100 years has been possible because of all of your hard work, sacrifices, and dedication to not only your own families, but to ours as well," said Noland.

The company's $13.4-million expansion began back in 2013 to modernize the rice mill and boost processing speed and volume, allowing the mill to be more competitive and tap into new markets throughout the world.

"Farmers Rice Milling Company has a long history of buying rice from Louisiana farmers, which is the heart and soul of our business," said Ann Stone, CEO of Farmers Rice Mill.  "We are looking forward to continuing our tradition of innovation, quality, and excellence for the next 100 years."

Farmers Rice Milling processes and mills rough rice at the Lake Charles facility, and then packages and distributes clean rice to customers from the site.  The mill sells rice to national and international customers as far away as Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East, and has the capacity to process more than 800 million pounds of rice per year.

"A hundred years in business is significant and means Farmers Rice Milling Company has established a reputation for quality and fairness for Louisiana rice farmers," said local producer Jackie Loewer, who attended the celebration.  "They are a vital part of the rice industry in this area."