• USTR Ag Chief Visits Arkansas to Talk TPP and Hear Rice Concerns

    Apr 01, 2016

    The chief agricultural negotiator for the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), Ambassador Darci Vetter, spent much of this week in Arkansas, visiting with rice farmers and millers participating in the Arkansas Farm Bureau meeting, and other agriculture groups as she continues to make the case for the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement, signed earlier this year. Full story
  • Growers: Don’t Use Our Data Against Us

    Mar 31, 2016

    Mississippi rice grower Noble Guedon represented the rice industry today at a meeting hosted by American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) focused on the use of electronic farm data. Specifically under discussion is the proprietary nature and use of data collected by global positioning systems and other harvest and input monitoring systems used in modern day farming equipment. Full story
  • Carbon Credit Program Targets Rice Growers

    Mar 31, 2016

    A new program is getting underway here that provides an opportunity for rice growers to participate in a voluntary carbon credit market if they practice Alternate Wetting and Drying (also referred to as Intermittent Flooding), or anticipate implementing Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) in 2016. Full story
  • Overall 2016 Rice Acreage Anticipated To Rise

    Mar 31, 2016

    Area planted for rice in 2016 is expected to total 3.06 million acres, 450,000 more than 2015, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service’s Prospective Plantings report released today. Planted acreage is forecast higher for all six major rice-producing states. Mississippi is expected to have the largest percentage increase of 47 percent from 150,000 to 220,000 acres followed by Texas at 42 percent from 133,000 to 189,000 acres. Full story
  • Amidst GMO Labeling Confusion, Rice Giant Gets Certified

    Mar 30, 2016

    A Vermont law, passed two years ago, requires all genetically engineered food sold in the state to be labeled by July 1, 2016. Last week, Congress failed to pass a measure that would have created a voluntary national standard for labeling — and also would have preempted Vermont's law. Full story
  • Fareway Dietitians Think Rice for “CentsAble” Health

    Mar 29, 2016

    From February through April, USA Rice is partnering with retail dietitians at Fareway, a Midwest grocery chain with more than 100 stores in Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, and Nebraska, to inform shoppers of the many benefits of U.S.-grown rice. The three month promotion kicked-off in February with a U.S. rice feature in the store magazine and also includes website and social media placements. Full story
  • Rice Leadership Class Session One: The Gulf Coast

    Mar 28, 2016

    Traditionally the Rice Leadership Development program’s first session occurs in the spring and begins with a tour through rice-producing areas of the Gulf Coast. Stops in Texas and Louisiana include examination of rice production, milling, marketing, research, and other aspects of the U.S. rice industry. Full story
  • DP- Bloggers Think Rice for National Nutrition Month 160325 Bloggers Think Rice 1.5 Million Times for National Nutrition Month

    Mar 25, 2016

    In honor of March National Nutrition Month, USA Rice hosted a two-week campaign with the Healthy Aperture Blogger Network to spread the U.S. rice message and share delicious rice recipes with people across the country. Full story
  • USA Rice Promotions Tailor-Made in Mexico

    Mar 24, 2016

    This month, USA Rice conducted two promotions here, one large and one small, with the shared goal of increasing awareness and use of U.S.-grown rice. Full story
  • Accurate Rough Rice Price Reporting Critical to the Industry

    Mar 23, 2016

    Many in the rice industry are in the process of completing the National Agriculture Statistic Service's (NASS) monthly Rough Rice price questionnaire for March 2016. Full story
  • Agriculture Tops the Trends at Culinary Conference

    Mar 23, 2016

    WASHINGTON, DC -- This weekend, the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) held its annual conference to facilitate an exchange of information, knowledge, and inspiration within the professional food community. In attendance were hundreds of culinary professionals including, chefs, food media, culinary school instructors, food writers, marketers, nutritionists, and academics. Full story
  • GA-Rice-Grading-at-RiceTec-160322 Federal Rice Grading Standards Up for Review

    Mar 22, 2016

    This week USA Rice submitted comments for the five-year review of United States Standards for Rough Rice, Brown Rice for Processing, and Milled Rice. The standards are maintained by the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Grain Inspection, Packers, and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) and facilitate the marketing of rice in foreign and domestic trade, and provide a uniform measure of quality by providing a common language to describe commodity attributes for U.S. producers, exporters, and their customers. Full story
  • ITP-Vilsack-in-Cuba-Rice-Aisle-in-2015-160321 New Agreements for U.S.-Cuba Agriculture Sectors Announced During Historic Visit

    Mar 21, 2016

    Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, who is traveling with President Obama on his historic visit to Cuba this week, announced today that agricultural commodity groups receiving funding from federal check-offs or U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Marketing Orders for research and promotion activities are now able to use their resources in preparing for normalized trade with the country. USA Rice promotion activities were not impacted by today’s announcement because, when conducting promotion activities in Cuba, USA Rice uses state-generated resources that are not subject to federal check-off restrictions. Full story
  • Star-Studded Food Service Seminar

    Mar 21, 2016

    Earlier this month, U.S. rice was the highlight of a foodservice seminar, “Mizrahi and Friends,” at the Colegio Superior de Gastronomia Culinary Institute where distinguished international chefs cooked for an audience of foodservice professionals, press, and special guests. The organizer and star of the event, Chef Aaron Mizrahi, grilled various cuts of U.S. meat served with a delicious rice dish made with U.S.-grown rice and emphasized the importance of selecting U.S. rice for its nutritional value and superior quality. Full story
  • Group of LA farmers & millers meet w/Rep Ralph Abraham USA Rice Advocacy Gets Results in Food Aid Debate

    Mar 18, 2016

    During USA Rice’s 2016 Government Affairs Conference here last month, USA Rice members educated Members of the Agriculture Subcommittee of the House Committee on Appropriations on the importance of maintaining in-kind commodities in the food aid program during emergency response efforts around the world, and asked specifically that U.S.-grown rice, including fortified rice, be prioritized for delivery to those in need. Full story
  • IP-Chile-Trade-Mission,-Jorge-Rodriguez-160318 Tough Competition in Chile’s Rice Market

    Mar 18, 2016

    Agriculture Secretary Vilsack has brought his trade mission to Chile, the wealthiest country in South America and the most prolific negotiator of free trade agreements. Full story
  • In Memory photo of Ralph-Cowan In Memory: Ralph Cowan

    Mar 17, 2016

    USA Rice was saddened to learn of the passing of Ralph Cowan, a giant in the Louisiana and U.S. rice industries. Cowan was one of the original organizers of the Louisiana Rice Council and the Louisiana Rice Promotion Board, and served as the first president and first chairman of each organization, respectively. Full story
  • IP-Swiss-girl,-RISO-Mtg-160317 Food Safety Could Present Key to US Rice’s Return to Switzerland

    Mar 17, 2016

    Hartwig Schmidt, regional director of USA Rice, attended the annual meeting of the Swiss Rice Promotion Board (RISO) here last week and gave a presentation on the world rice outlook for 2016. Full story
  • ip-honduras-market-rice-bags-160314 Honduras Approves Rice from Paraguay

    Mar 14, 2016

    Last month, Honduras approved the phytosanitary protocol to allow milled rice imports from Paraguay. They are the first country in the northern tier of Central America to permit Paraguayan milled rice. Full story
  • Attendees at Foodex Japan USA Rice Features New Products at Foodex Japan

    Mar 11, 2016

    USA Rice is here this week at Foodex Japan, the largest trade exhibition in Asia, conducting taste tests from the U.S. Embassy Agricultural Trade Office’s (ATO) exhibition booth for the more than 77,000 traders in attendance. Full story

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