Riceland Foods, Inc.

The original Migratory Bird Treaty encompassed the United States and the United Kingdom, making it illegal to hunt ducks while riding inside a motor car or a boat in motion, and establishing a time limit to hunting.

Riceland was founded in 1921 as a cooperative with a singular mission: to give farmers a better market for their rice by milling, marketing, and distributing rice under a trusted brand.

The 1930s saw a major decrease in duck populations due to environmental factors, the farm economy, and the Great Depression, leading to renewed conservation efforts.

George H. Dunklin, Jr. founded the Bayou Meto Wildlife Management Area, the first in Arkansas, named after former Ducks Unlimited President George H. Dunklin.

In 1934, President Franklin Roosevelt asked Jay N. Darling to head the U.S. Biological Survey, which would eventually become the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Darling secured $17 million for wildlife habitat restoration and established the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission.

Founded in 1937 in New York, Ducks Unlimited began restoring duck habitat across four major flyways, restoring 155,000 acres in its first year.

In September 2022, it was announced that the USDA is investing up to $2.8 billion in projects under the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities, including Riceland’s Ingrain Good Carbon Ready Program and Ducks Unlimited Rice Stewardship Partnership.