Our History
On August 22, 1994, the leadership of the U.S. rice industry’s three national associations – the
Rice Millers’ Association (RMA),
USA Rice Council, and the U.S. Rice Producers’ Group (now
USA Rice Farmers) – approved a plan to create an umbrella organization, the USA Rice Federation. Each organization retained its own board of directors, bylaws, and designated representatives to the Federation board. A single staff was formed to manage the new combined organization.
On September 21, 1994 the newly formed USA Rice Federation held its first board meeting in Washington, D.C. The rice industry was commended by Congress and the Secretary of Agriculture for forming the Federation to help the industry speak with a unified voice.
In 2005, the USA Rice Merchants' Association formed and joined the Federation.
In 2015, the USA Rice Federation Board of Directors, in response to a recommendation from the USA Rice Communications Committee, dropped the word “Federation” from the organization’s name for common use. Legally, the organization is still USA Rice Federation, but USA Rice is also our name.