• USA Rice Promotions: A Hit in Haiti

    Apr 30, 2015

    PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI- The island nation of Haiti, a little more than 1,000 miles from the United States, has long been an important market for U.S. rice. However, in December 2012, the Government of Haiti signed an agreement with the government of Vietnam allowing the purchase of 300,000 MT of milled long grain rice; at that time, the U.S. had a 97 percent market share in Haiti. Full story
  • Budget Conference Report Reveals No Farm Bill Cuts

    Apr 30, 2015

    WASHINGTON, D.C.-The House and Senate Agriculture Chairmen received welcome, but not entirely unexpected news when they reviewed the 2016 budget conference report. The report stated that neither the House nor the Senate Agriculture Committees are required to trim money from the Farm Bill. Full story
  • USA Rice Partners with Celiac Awareness Group on Video

    Apr 29, 2015

    May is Celiac Awareness Month, and USA Rice has partnered with the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness (NFCA) to help draw attention to this often misunderstood genetic autoimmune disease with a video targeting television news. Full story
  • Partnership with Big Y Dietitians Helps Boost Awareness and Sales of U.S. Rice

    Apr 28, 2015

    Earlier this year, USA Rice participated in the Living Well Eating Smart (LWES) program at Big Y, a supermarket chain of more than 60 stores in Massachusetts and Connecticut. From January through March, shoppers were exposed to the many uses and nutritional benefits of U.S.-grown rice through a print and online newsletter, social media, as well as in-store signage and displays. Full story
  • U.S. Rice Takes Center Stage at Worlds of Flavor Conference

    Apr 27, 2015

    Asians are the fastest growing foreign born population in the United States and their influence is causing a seismic shift in American food culture. The integration of Asian flavors and styles into Western food is the biggest culinary mega-trend in American food service today so, it stands to reason, Asian cuisine was the theme at the Culinary Institute of America's (CIA) Worlds of Flavor Conference this year. Full story
  • Improved Access for U.S. Rice Follows U.S.-Peru Agreement on Plant Health Issues

    Apr 24, 2015

    Following nine years of collaboration with USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), USA Rice has reached a feasible resolution with Peru's National Service of Agrarian Health (SENASA) to fully open Peru's market to U.S. rice exports. Full story
  • USA Rice and Mexican Rice Council Talk TPP

    Apr 24, 2015

    As Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations enter their final stages and market realities come into sharper focus, USA Rice met yesterday with Ricardo Mendoza from the Mexican Rice Council and Norberto Ugalde of Mexico's National Council of Agriculture and Fisheries to discuss areas of mutual interest and concern. Mendoza and Ugalde are in the U.S. participating in discussions on the TPP and negotiating on behalf of Mexican agriculture and rice. Full story
  • Back in Business: U.S. Rice Returns to U.K. Retail Shelves

    Apr 23, 2015

    In a major victory for the rice industry, U.S. rice has reemerged on mainstream UK retail shelves for the first time since 2006. Full story
  • Japanese Food Bloggers Crave and Rave about U.S. Rice

    Apr 22, 2015

    U.S. medium grain rice stole the show at a taste-testing event last week that was hosted by "Yummy-san", a popular food specialist and blogger. Yummy-san devised twelve innovative "Cal-Bowl" menus for a recipe book published by USA Rice earlier this year to great success. The twenty-seven bloggers in attendance were given the opportunity to sample three recipes from the book "Cobb Salad Bowl," "Spicy Salad Bowl of Salsa Rice," and "Gazpacho Soup Bowl." Full story
  • Riceland's Harris Testifies Before Senate on Cuban Trade

    Apr 21, 2015

    The Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, & Forestry held a hearing today entitled, "Opportunities and Challenges for Agricultural Trade with Cuba,"and given the Cuban taste for rice, U.S. rice was front and center. Full story
  • USA Rice Promotions Target Growing Institutional Sector in Mexico

    Apr 20, 2015

    Last year, USA Rice conducted market research into the institutional sector in Mexico with funding from USDA's Emerging Markets Program. That research found that while the institutional sector as a whole consumed more than twice the amount of rice as the average Mexican, there were several middle-sized companies that were willing to, and interested in, increasing their usage of rice, if they could learn more. Full story
  • USA Rice Staff Visits The Russell Marine Group, Eurofins

    Apr 17, 2015

    USA Rice President & CEO Betsy Ward and Member Services staff visited The Russell Marine Group and Eurofins new facilities this week. Full story
  • American Food Aid: Flexibility and Food Security

    Apr 17, 2015

    The United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations met Wednesday to discuss "American Food Aid: Why Reform Matters." Witnesses at the hearing, including USAID's Director of the Office of Food for Peace Dina Esposito, all emphasized their support for in-kind food aid, but requested increased use of local and regional purchases and cash vouchers, and a need for greater flexibility in using the right tools at the right time. Full story
  • LA-Donner-Peltier-Distillers 3 bottles of rice spirits Louisiana Distillers Take a Shot with Rice-Based Liquor

    Apr 16, 2015

    Born and raised in Louisiana, Tom Donner and Henry Peltier witnessed firsthand the prominence of sugar cane and rice in their community and were inspired to find an innovative way to support these industries. The lack of a locally-run distillery motivated Donner and Peltier to experiment with using sugar cane and rice to make liquor. Sugar cane is traditionally the main ingredient used to make rum; however, rice proved to be more of a challenge. Over the course of three months, Donner and Peltier utilized their backgrounds in chemistry to investigate the best way to incorporate rice into their products. Full story
  • New Trade Promotion Authority Bill Could Jump Start Trade Negotiations

    Apr 16, 2015

    Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) legislation was finally introduced in Congress today with a bill from Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-OR) and House Ways & Means Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) making an appearance following lengthy negotiations between the leaders. Full story
  • RCPP Meeting Sets the Stage for Sustainability Talks

    Apr 15, 2015

    Earlier this week, USA Rice and Duck Unlimited hosted meetings for contributing partners in the Sustaining the Future of Rice Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). The roundtable meeting was designed to foster discussion amongst USA Rice member companies and end users on how to improve and coordinate common goals and initiatives related to sustainability and conservation. Full story
  • Market Watch: South Korea -- A Changing Market?

    Apr 14, 2015

    This country of 50 million is a small, but high-value market for the U.S. rice industry. The U.S. exports have averaged more than 104,000 MT of rice to Korea annually over the past 6 years -- representing about 25 percent of the roughly 410,000 MT imported by volume, or 26 percent of imports by value. However, a shift may be coming. While Korea continues to purchase U.S. rice, officials are attempting to manage rice supplies that exceed domestic demand. Full story
  • USA Rice Joins 24 Farm and Ag Organizations for 2015 Commodity Summit

    Apr 13, 2015

    USA Rice President & CEO Betsy Ward joined other agricultural CEOs from across the country at a summit last week to discuss how groups can work together to manage common regulatory threats, including developing common strategies. Participants agreed an inventory of the various issues and the coalitions addressing them would be a beneficial first step. Full story
  • USA Rice and Ducks Unlimited Thank NRCS in USA Today Ad

    Apr 10, 2015

    The USA Rice Federation and Ducks Unlimited partnered on a print ad in the current USA Today special edition newspaper, "U.S. Department of Agriculture: America's Farming Landscape." Full story
  • U.S. Rice Promotes New 'American Rice' Logo at Trade Show in Mexico

    Apr 09, 2015

    Last month, the USA Rice Federation participated in the annual Expo ANTAD trade show, the preeminent trade summit for the retail industry in Mexico. Organized by the National Retailer Association in Mexico (ANTAD), the show is an internationally recognized platform where retailers, manufacturers, and distributors come together to strengthen and encourage trade relations. Full story

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