Rice Expansion Brings Jobs to Louisiana

Oct 14, 2025
By Farms.com

New investment boosts Louisiana rice export capacity

South Louisiana Rail Facility (SLRF), a key agricultural export and processing company, is investing $2.1 million to expand its Jefferson Davis Parish operations. The project focuses on installing advanced bagging and warehouse equipment to boost efficiency and open new markets for Louisiana’s rice producers.

The expansion will create 10 new direct jobs while retaining 12 current employees. Louisiana Economic Development (LED) projects an additional 51 indirect jobs, resulting in 61 new positions for the Southwest Region.

“South Louisiana Rail Facility’s expansion is a powerful example of how strategic investment in infrastructure fuels long-term growth,” said LED Secretary Susan B. Bourgeois. “This project strengthens the foundation of Louisiana’s agricultural economy by supporting farmers, creating jobs, and expanding access to global markets. It reflects the mission of LED’s Driving Louisiana Opportunity tour, highlighting companies that are building our economy, reinvesting in their communities and creating opportunities for Louisiana’s people.”

Located at the Lacassine Agri-Industrial Park, the expansion enables SLRF to package milled rice in 50-pound and 50-kilogram bags, meeting growing international demand. “At South Louisiana Rail Facility, we’re not just moving commodities – we’re driving economic growth, strengthening Louisiana’s agricultural industry, and connecting our farmers to global markets,” said SLRF Vice Chairman Ronnie Petre. “Our commitment to efficiency, innovation and partnership is what sets us apart.”

The project will begin construction in December 2025, with operations expected by May 2026. Jefferson Davis Parish Economic Development Director Cesilee Oliver said the investment strengthens both local agriculture and employment.

The state supported the expansion with up to $500,000 from the Economic Development Award Program for eligible equipment costs. This builds on SLRF’s earlier $1.6 million rice mill project in 2020, reinforcing Louisiana’s leadership in rice processing and export capacity.

Photo Credit: pexels-polina-tankilevitch

Video: Spring 2026 weather outlook for Wisconsin; What an early-arriving El Niño could mean

Northeast Wisconsin is a small corner of the world, but our weather is still affected by what happens across the globe.

That includes in the equatorial Pacific, where changes between El Niño and La Niña play a role in the weather here -- and boy, have there been some abrupt changes as of late.

El Niño and La Niña are the two phases of what is collectively known as the El Niño Southern Oscillation, or ENSO for short. These are the swings back and forth from unusually warm to unusually cold sea surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean along the equator.

Since this past September, we have been in a weak La Niña, which means water temperatures near the Eastern Pacific equator have been cooler than usual. That's where we're at right now.

Even last fall, the long-term outlook suggested a return to neutral conditions by spring and potentially El Niño conditions by summer.

But there are some signs this may be happening faster than usual, which could accelerate the onset of El Niño.

Over the last few weeks, unusually strong bursts of westerly winds farther west in the Pacific -- where sea surface temperatures are warmer than average -- have been observed. There is a chance that this could accelerate the warming of those eastern Pacific waters and potentially push us into El Niño sooner than usual.

If we do enter El Nino by spring -- which we'll define as the period of March, April and May -- there are some long-term correlations with our weather here in Northeast Wisconsin.

Looking at a map of anomalously warm weather, most of the upper Great Lakes doesn't show a strong correlation, but in general, the northern tiers of the United States do tend to lean to that direction.

The stronger correlation is with precipitation. El Niño conditions in spring have historically come with a higher risk of very dry weather over that time frame, so this will definitely be a transition we'll have to watch closely as we move out of winter.