[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 16982]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            HONORING THE LSU AGCENTER RICE RESEARCH STATION

                                 ______
                                 

                     HON. CHARLES W. BOUSTANY, JR.

                              of louisiana

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 7, 2009

  Mr. BOUSTANY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the LSU AgCenter 
Rice Research Station in Acadia Parish, Louisiana, situated 2 miles 
east of Crowley, which celebrated its 100th year in operation on July 
1.
  Since 1909, the Rice Research Station continues to provide invaluable 
information, innovative techniques and new varieties of rice to help 
Gulf Coast rice farmers feed the world. Originally a partnership 
between Acadia Parish, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the 
Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, it was the first 
experimental rice research station in the country.
  Now operating under the LSU AgCenter, scientists and farmers work in 
tandem to contribute to improvements in rice growing. A significant 
part of the center's funding comes from the Louisiana Rice Research 
Board, which receives a voluntary payment from area rice sales to 
ensure the station's work continues.
  Rice farmers along the Gulf Coast face difficult conditions as 
weather and disease can devastate even the most promising crop. 
However, Louisiana's agricultural communities persevere and possess a 
richness of culture matched by none. The state's rice industry added 
$550 million to Louisiana's economy in 2008 alone. Rice farming will 
continue to be a way of life for thousands in Louisiana thanks to the 
work done at the Research Station.
  Again, congratulations to the LSU AgCenter Rice Research Station at 
Crowley, Louisiana, for helping rice farmers throughout the Gulf Coast 
for 100 years and counting.''

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