• Michael-Rue, headshot USA Rice and Ag Groups: Don’t Forget About Asia

    Feb 09, 2017

    USA Rice joined scores of farm organizations and agricultural companies earlier this week in a letter to President Trump encouraging the administration to seek deeper economic ties with countries of the Asia Pacific region. The letter follows the withdrawal in January, at the President’s direction, of the United States from the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement. Full story
  • USDA Logo WASDE Report Released

    Feb 09, 2017

    U.S. 2016/17 rice exports are lowered 2 million cwt to 110 million. Long-grain milled exports account for the entire reduction and reflect the sales and shipment pace to date. U.S. ending stocks are raised by an equal amount and are the highest since 1985/86. The 2016/17 all rice season-average farm price range is raised $0.10 per cwt at the midpoint to $10.50. The long-grain, and the Other States medium- and short-grain season-average prices are both increased. Full story
  • IP.w-Conveyor-Belt-Sushi-170208 Japan Foodservice Industry Sold on Calrose

    Feb 08, 2017

    Over the past half year, the Japanese foodservice industry has rediscovered U.S. Calrose rice and initiated steps to evaluate its use in traditional Japanese cuisine. Last fall a sample of Calrose as vinegar-seasoned rice for sushi was tested and found to be readily acceptable for use in sushi sold in supermarkets, convenience stores and in rotating sushi bars, called Kaitenzushi. Full story
  • People listening to farmer talk about irrigation, standing in rice field w/water pipes The Time to Think Irrigation Strategies is Now

    Feb 07, 2017

    The current drumbeat for rice irrigation is: “take time to measure and evaluate inputs, including water, because the money spent to hold and move that water can decrease significantly with management upgrades.” Irrigation strategy can be measured in droplets and dollars, and because producers have more options than ever before, determining how to water rice is more complicated today than it’s ever been. Fortunately, a lot of information is available to help farmers make that decision. Full story
  • Food for Thought: U.S. Rice Meets Foodservice Trends on Campus

    Feb 06, 2017

    College students aren’t just hungry for knowledge, they’re also just hungry according to Datassential, a foodservice research firm, that reports College & University (C&U) operators spent $7.2 billion on purchases from distributors and made sales of $17.9 billion in 2016. This upward trend is expected to continue into 2017 and to help U.S. rice capitalize on the potential opportunity in this market, USA Rice is targeting C&U foodservice providers through a new e-newsletter campaign. Full story
  • Close-up of Rice Plants with Blue Sky background Mark Your Calendar: Rice Industry Meetings Scheduled Next Week

    Feb 03, 2017

    Louisiana and Southeast Arkansas rice industry stakeholders will receive the latest information on issues impacting the industry in series of meetings scheduled next week. Full story
  • Mexico May Move Forward with Viet Nam Trade Deal

    Feb 02, 2017

    According to press reports, the government of Mexico may move forward with bi-lateral trade deals with many of the countries that participated in the now defunct Trans Pacific Partnership, including Viet Nam. Full story
  • Pruitt Through Committee Following Rule Suspension

    Feb 02, 2017

    Oklahoma AG Scott Pruitt's nomination to head the EPA has been advanced out of committee to the full Senate for consideration. Full story
  • Amidst Senate Drama, Trump EPA Designee Remains in Limbo

    Feb 01, 2017

    As decorum breaks down in the Capitol over President Trump's designees and nominees for cabinet, sub-cabinet posts, and now the Supreme Court, his pick for Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, was once again, put on hold. Full story
  • USA Rice Market Research Focuses on El Salvador

    Jan 31, 2017

    USA Rice, ASALBAR (El Salvador Association of Rice Millers), and USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service representatives in San Salvador met earlier this month to discuss the results of USA Rice market research into consumer behavior and preferences in El Salvador. Full story
  • IP-Canada Twitter Chat-170109 USA Rice, How Tweet It Is!

    Jan 30, 2017

    Rice became a trending topic in Canada during a recent Twitter event that generated more than 3 million impressions. Full story
  • USA Rice on the Road in Mississippi and Arkansas

    Jan 27, 2017

    As the 2017 planting season approaches, rice state meetings are in full swing and USA Rice is on the road listening to growers and sharing planned activities and success stories. Full story
  • Commodity Groups Ask Trump to Keep Food Aid American-Grown

    Jan 26, 2017

    Earlier today, several commodity organizations providing the bulk of the in-kind food aid contributions by the United States sent a letter to President Trump asking him to maintain and strengthen the role that U.S. farmers play in ensuring global food security. Full story
  • New Coloring Activity Book Lets Kids Get Creative

    Jan 25, 2017

    USA Rice released a new coloring booklet for children ages 2-8, to teach them about rice grown in the USA. This new resource joins USA Rice’s collection of other educational resources including the U.S.-Grown Rice in the Classroom pamphlet and the Think Rice classroom curriculum, which are regularly requested by extension agents, educators, and others conducting youth programs including county fairs, Ag in the Classroom projects, and other local events. Full story
  • ITP.w-TPP-RIP-Tombstone-170124 TPP – R.I.P. So, What’s Next?

    Jan 24, 2017

    WASHINGTON, DC -- President Trump yesterday followed through on a key campaign promise and sent a Memorandum to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) instructing the agency to inform the 11 other Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) partners that the United States is withdrawing from the agreement and any TPP-related negotiations. This action effectively stops the agreement as negotiated in 2015 because U.S. enactment is necessary for the agreement to enter into legal force. USA Rice considered the TPP as deficient, and did not adopt a position on the agreement pending assurances on the reported gains for U.S. rice, primarily in Japan. Full story
  • Combine in Rice Field during Harvest Upcoming Rice Industry Meetings Scheduled in Mississippi, Arkansas, and Louisiana

    Jan 23, 2017

    Rice industry stakeholders will receive the latest information on opportunities and challenges in major markets at several meetings scheduled next week throughout Mississippi, Louisiana, and Arkansas. Full story
  • NAFTA-hands, painted with the flags of 3 countries: US, Canada & Mexico Talking Up Rice Trade on Capitol Hill

    Jan 20, 2017

    USA Rice joined several commodity groups in visits earlier this week to the Senate Agriculture and Finance Committees to emphasize the importance of the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) to the economic health of rice producers and millers, and U.S. agriculture overall. Full story
  • Agriculture Abuzz Over EPA Pollinator Efforts

    Jan 19, 2017

    On the heels of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listing the Rusty Patch Bumblebee as an endangered species, EPA released several documents late last week on the risks to bees from pesticide use. The first document is a non-binding policy statement outlining new recommended labeling statements for mitigation of acute risks to bees from pesticide products. Pesticide registrants can voluntarily adopt the new labeling statements, but EPA cannot compel compliance. Full story
  • Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue to Head Trump’s USDA

    Jan 19, 2017

    Yesterday, President-Elect Trump’s Transition Team officially announced the nomination of former Georgia Governor George Ervin “Sonny” Perdue III as the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. Full story
  • TX-Rice-Conference-meeting, people sitting at tables watching a rice production video Western Rice Belt Production Conference and Texas Rice Council Welcome USA Rice

    Jan 18, 2017

    More than 200 Texas rice producers packed the Civic Center here today for the annual Western Rice Belt Production Conference and Texas Rice Council Meetings to hear research and association updates. Full story

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