Riceland's Trevor Freemyer
May 06, 2016
MEMPHIS, TN – This week, more than 30 people associated with the implementation process of the National Rice Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) project and working under the umbrella of the Rice Stewardship Partnership convened here at the Ducks Unlimited (DU) headquarters.
Staff representing USA Rice, DU, and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) spent a day and a half engaging in more than 20 presentations encompassing NRCS training, technical conservation education, and increasing the Stewardship Partnership program coordination. Several of the Partnership’s key partners were also in attendance to provide insight on how the National Rice RCPP project is working and how to best synchronize efforts to increase the implementation of conservation across the rice landscape.
One of the partners in attendance was USA Rice member, Trevor Freemyer, sustainability coordinator for Riceland Foods. Freemyer addressed the group saying, “Riceland Foods is glad to be a part of this successful Rice Stewardship Partnership effort and it’s been exciting to listen to what all of the staff in the field, working with rice farmers across the Mid-South and California have to say.”
He added, “It’s also been enlightening to hear from the NRCS staff here about the technical side of implementing all of these rice-friendly conservation practices. It’s much more complex than I anticipated and definitely gives you a greater appreciation for the work their staff does behind the scenes on a daily basis.”
USA Rice is continuing to work with DU, NRCS, and other partners to develop sustainable conservation programs designed to address the unique needs of rice farmers and increase the financial assistance provided for implementation of those practices.