Outlook Conference Ends the Year with a Bang

INDIAN WELLS, CA – The 2023 USA Rice Outlook Conference concluded here last week and there were plenty of new attractions for attendees, as well as some tried and true traditions.

“In response to exhibitor and sponsor feedback in the past, we condensed our Exhibit Hall experience into a single day, while still offering nine hours of dedicated hall time” said retiring USA Rice President & CEO Betsy Ward.  “We also took advantage of the spectacular location to host our first ever outdoor reception at Outlook and a golf tournament to benefit The Rice Foundation.”

Ward, who officially leaves USA Rice today, was celebrated at both the Annual Awards Luncheon (see USA Rice Daily, December 13, 2023) and at a farewell reception featuring a photo montage with 40 years of memories and a video tribute from industry leaders and a few celebrities.

Also new this year was a single General Session that featured USDA Foreign Agricultural Service Administrator Daniel Whitley who talked about his devotion to promoting U.S. ag products around the world and with his Louisiana roots, his special appreciation of rice.  The program then tackled difficult issues with a fireside chat on U.S. rice quality with Horizon Ag CEO Dr. Tim Walker and Amilcar Ybarra-Rojas, CEO of Nicaragua’s Agricorp.  The duo discussed the alarming decline of U.S. rice’s market share in the Western Hemisphere and possible causes and approaches to turning the trend around.  Keynote speaker, author, anthropologist, and millennial foodie Eve Turow-Paul then talked about generational food trends and how food producers should think about new consumers who have a vastly different experience of the world and how marketers should approach them because of it.

“We asked Eve to challenge our audience, and maybe even make us a little uncomfortable,” said new USA Rice President & CEO Peter Bachmann.  “I think it’s important for us to remember that our experience is our own, and what our members are feeling and thinking in their communities is not what the majority of the population, and indeed rice eaters, are feeling and thinking.  Eve drove those points home with good data and I was heartened to hear that she saw rice in a strong position to connect with the values of new consumers.”

The Exhibit Hall also featured programming on two stages: The Rice Foundation Innovation Stage and the USA Rice Education Stage.

In addition to the state research and outlook reports from the seven rice states, programming included a look at the how and why of rice check-off programs, the Farm Bill, navigating ag labor policies, e-commerce solutions for farmers to market their rice directly, the new NASA Acres program that seeks to bring earth observation programs literally down to earth for farmers, global rice trends, the success of the Uruguayan rice industry, USA Rice’s own consumer trend research for rice eaters, and political insight from conference mainstay Jim Wiesemeyer.

The 2023 Conference also featured the largest international contingent of attendees with more than forty from Central America, the Middle East, and Europe.  Many were on hand to attend the Fourth Annual U.S. Rice Quality Symposium, but they also took part in education sessions, many of which offered simultaneous translation.

“In talking with members, exhibitors, sponsors, and attendees, there’s no doubt our 2023 conference was a great success,” said Bachmann.  “We’re already working on the 2024 USA Rice Outlook Conference that returns to Little Rock where we expect to break all attendance records.  Mark your calendar now – December 8 to 10, 2024!”