• COMM-Iraq Grain Tender image-150507 Iraq Grain Tender Canceled, USA Rice to Meet with U.S. Ambassador

    May 07, 2015

    ARLINGTON, VA – Earlier this week, in a move that was only mildly surprising, the Iraqi Grain Board canceled their current tender request without explanation or fanfare. “The only thing we can predict with any accuracy in this market is the total unpredictability of this market,” said Betsy Ward, president & CEO of USA Rice. Full story
  • USDA Announces 235M for RCPP USDA Announces $235 Million in Funding for RCPP

    May 07, 2015

    WASHINGTON, DC -- Earlier this week, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced an investment of $235 million in funding to be applied towards the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). The RCPP, created by the 2014 Farm Bill, is a conservation initiative administered by the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) that enables local leaders across the country to implement programs that will preserve natural resources in their region. Full story
  • DP-Mr. Kotter-150506 Think Rice Education Program Earns High Marks from Teachers

    May 06, 2015

    ARLINGTON, VA – In honor of March National Nutrition Month, USA Rice distributed the Think Rice educational lesson plan to more than 2,800 elementary schools in rice-growing counties across the six states. USA Rice partnered with the award-winning curriculum experts at Young Minds Inspired (YMI) to develop the program to meet national standards for 3rd – 6th grade students in social studies, science, and nutrition. As of mid-April, the program reached an estimated 9,000 teachers and 330,000 students and families. Full story
  • COMM-Whole Grain Spring Cover-150505 Spring 2015 Issue of USA Rice’s Whole Grain Delivers

    May 05, 2015

    The next issue of USA Rice’s Whole Grain tabloid newspaper hits the streets -- and your mailbox – next week! Full story
  • MyPlate Video Entry MyPlate Video Search is a Success

    May 04, 2015

    ARLINGTON, VA – Last week marked the end of the two-month Check Out MyPlate Video Search for kids, a MyPlate promotional activity launched by USA Rice and six other MyPlate National Strategic Partners to reach children and parents with healthy eating messages. The video search received more than 10,000 unique visitors and generated more than 100 video entries from kids across the country. Full story
  • COMM-Think-Rice-Race-at-Stuart-HS-SMALL-150504 USA Rice Fuels Local Charity Race

    May 04, 2015

    FALLS CHURCH, VA -- USA Rice participated in a charity race at a local high school here to help support the school’s athletic program. More than 400 adults and children took part in the annual “Raider 5K Run” that raised an estimated $10,000 for the community. Full story
  • Arkansas License Plate Arkansas Rice Specialty License Plates Now Available

    May 01, 2015

    LITTLE ROCK, AR -- A special Arkansas license plate highlighting the state’s rice industry is now available. The Arkansas Rice Council worked with the Department of Finance and Administration to develop the specialty license plate to promote rice, Arkansas's second highest value commodity and top agricultural export. Full story
  • 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

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