Chicago Board of Trade rough rice futures ended lower Friday, falling prey to the defensive theme circulating through other grain futures.

March rice ended 2 cents lower at $10.30 per hundredweight, May rice finished 3 cents lower at $10.61, and the November future settled 2 cents lower at $11.33.

The market was lightly traded during the day, with speculative funds visibly absent and fresh news scarce, traders said. The market effectively took a breather, with traders willing to square up a few positions ahead of the weekend.