• 2015/17 Rice Leadership Class Gets Underway in Texas

    Mar 23, 2015

    HOUSTON, TEXAS -- Members of the 2015/17 Rice Leadership Development Class are attending their first program session this week with visits to rice-producing areas of the Gulf Coast. Session activities include examination of rice production, milling, marketing, and other aspects of the U.S. rice industry. Full story
  • USA Rice Teams with Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute at Foodex in Japan

    Mar 20, 2015

    MAKUHARI MESSE, JAPAN -- Earlier this month, USA Rice and the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute joined forces to promote products at the American Agricultural Trade Office (ATO) booth at Foodex Japan 2015. This is Japan's largest food show with almost 3,000 exhibitors and an estimated 80,000 visitors this year. Full story
  • Arkansas Governor Calls for End to U.S. Cuba Embargo

    Mar 19, 2015

    LITTLE ROCK, AR -- Yesterday, Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson signed House Joint Resolution 1006, calling on the U.S. government to lift its trade embargo on Cuba and open the market to American rice and other commodities. Full story
  • Louisiana Couple Honored on National Ag Day

    Mar 18, 2015

    WASHINGTON, DC -- Today is 2015 National Ag Day and it's a safe bet that Christian and Julie Richard, rice farmers from Kaplan, Louisiana, will always remember how they celebrated. The Richards won the National Outstanding Young Farmer (NOYF) award last year and a trip to the nation's capital was part of the award. They have spent the past few days attending various events scheduled around Ag Day, including a visit with their Congressman, Representative Charles Boustany, a meeting with USDA Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and Deputy Secretary Krysta Harden, a luncheon with House Agriculture Committee Chairman Mike Conaway, and a Celebration of Agriculture Dinner where they were the honored guests. Full story
  • Conservation Stewardship Program Renewal Deadline March 31

    Mar 17, 2015

    WASHINGTON, DC -- Eligible agricultural producers and forest landowners who wish to renew expiring Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) contracts must have their renewals completed by Tuesday, March 31, 2015. The renewal process is optional but benefits CSP participants with expiring contracts because it is non-competitive. Full story
  • Crop Insurance Briefings Shed Light on Complex Programs

    Mar 17, 2015

    WASHINGTON, DC -- Anticipating attacks from the far left and far right, the Senate and House Agriculture Committees last week hosted Crop Insurance 101 briefings where producer and crop insurance industry representatives were on hand to educate staff on the history, issues, and complexities of the programs. USA Rice Federation joined a broad coalition of commodity groups that helped promote the briefings that were widely attended by Congressional staff. Full story
  • USA Rice Talking Trade Again in Havana

    Mar 16, 2015

    HAVANA, CUBA -- USA Rice's Marvin Lehrer was here last week for meetings with the Cuban food buying agency, ALIMPORT, and the Ministry of Foreign Trade. Lehrer also visited several hard currency supermarkets, ration card stores, and public markets to see how rice is currently being sold in Cuba. Full story
  • In Memory: Richard Bell

    Mar 16, 2015

    Richard E. "Dick" Bell The U.S. rice industry is deeply saddened by the passing of Richard E. "Dick" Bell, 81, in Stuttgart, Arkansas on March 13. Bell was president and CEO of Riceland Foods for more than 23 years. In 2005, he was named Arkansas's first Secretary of Agriculture, a post he held until he retired in 2012. Full story
  • USA Rice Looks for Market Opportunities in the Philippines

    Mar 13, 2015

    MANILA, PHILIPPINES -- This week, USA Rice is participating in a USDA-sponsored Agribusiness Trade Mission to Malaysia and the Philippines led by Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services Michael Scuse. Today, USA Rice Vice President for International Promotion Jim Guinn received a detailed briefing on the economic, agricultural, and political situation in the region from U.S. Ambassador Philip Goldberg and his embassy staff. Full story
  • USA Rice Identifies Market Challenges in Malaysia

    Mar 12, 2015

    KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA -- Earlier this week, USA Rice visited Malaysia as part of a USDA-sponsored Agribusiness Trade Mission to Malaysia and the Philippines led by Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services Michael Scuse, and found a complicated rice import scheme that does present some opportunities. Full story
  • California Agricultural Leadership Group Visits USA Rice

    Mar 11, 2015

    ARLINGTON, VA -- Class 45 of the California Agricultural Leadership Program visited USA Rice Federation headquarters today to learn about the work of the national rice organization. Full story
  • Louisiana Shorebird Extravaganza to Connect Working Rice Lands with Precious Habitat

    Mar 10, 2015

    JENNINGS, LA -- The same folks who host the Yellow Rails and Rice Festival each fall have organized a new festival, called "Waders in Working Wetlands: Shorebird Extravaganza," that highlights the springtime abundance of bird life in the rice-crawfish agricultural areas of southwest Louisiana. Full story
  • In Memory: Mike Danna

    Mar 10, 2015

    BATON ROUGE, LA -- USA Rice is deeply saddened by the death of Michael Danna, director of public relations for the Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation and host of the organization's long-running television program "This Week in Louisiana Agriculture." He died Friday, March 6, in Baton Rouge at age 54 after a battle with cancer. Full story
  • Brantley Reminds Farm Bill Extended Deadlines Approach

    Mar 10, 2015

    ENGLAND, AR -- USA Rice Federation Chairman Dow Brantley already updated yields and reallocated base acres for his Lonoke County, Arkansas farm, but he knows not everyone has done the same. He warns time is running out. Full story
  • USA Rice Reps Visit Cuba with Ag Coalition

    Mar 06, 2015

    HAVANA, CUBA -- Missouri rice farmer Rance Daniels and Riceland Foods Senior Vice President of Marketing and Risk Management Terry Harris represented the U.S. rice industry on a trip with more than 90 people involved in agriculture and education visiting Cuba this week. The group, traveling as the U.S. Agriculture Coalition for Cuba (USACC), included two former U.S. Secretaries of Agriculture, Mike Espy and John Block, and the First Lady of Missouri Georgeanne Nixon. Full story
  • Jimmy Hoppe Inducted into Louisiana Agriculture Hall of Distinction

    Mar 06, 2015

    BATON ROUGE, LA -- Jimmy Hoppe, a rice farmer from Iowa LA, was just the fourth person honored by being inducted into the Louisiana Agriculture Hall of Distinction (see USA Rice Daily story, January 29, 2015). Full story
  • USA Rice Launches Flickr Account: Get Up Close and Personal with USA Rice

    Feb 27, 2015

    ARLINGTON, VA -- Ready for your close up? The USA Rice Federation is launching its Flickr account, a popular website designed to optimize the process of sharing photos publicly. Full story
  • World Market Price Meeting Covers Reporting Mechanisms, Thailand, South Korea and More

    Feb 27, 2015

    WASHINGTON, DC -- Yesterday morning, the World Market Price Subcommittee convened to discuss planting prospects for the coming year, rice price reporting to National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), and trade issues facing the rice industry. Full story
  • In Victory for Farmers, USDA Extends Base Acre and Yield Update Deadline

    Feb 27, 2015

    WASHINGTON, DC -- Today Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced a one month extension for producers to update yield history and reallocate base acres for the new commodity programs established by the 2014 Farm Bill. The previous cutoff date had been today, but the new deadline is now March 31, 2015. Full story
  • Impressive Speakers, Positive Results at USA Rice Government Affairs Conference

    Feb 26, 2015

    WASHINGTON, DC -- The USA Rice Federation's annual Government Affairs Conference concluded here yesterday after three days of meetings with legislators, regulators, and federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agriculture Service (FAS), Farm Service Agency (FSA), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the Environmental Protection Agency, the State Department's U.S. Agency for International Development, and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. Full story

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