USA Rice Daily

ARLINGTON, VA -- Fifteen restaurants that serve U.S.-grown rice will participate in the USA Rice Federation restaurant promotion conducted in conjunction with the 2014 USA Rice Outlook Conference in Little Rock. Restaurants included on the list will welcome industry members by displaying the "Proudly Supporting America's Rice Farmers" emblem and featuring rice dishes on their menus. Full story

ARLINGTON, VA -- This weekend the 2014 USA Rice Outlook Conference takes over the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock, Arkansas. The annual conference is the largest rice convention held in the United States featuring a trade show, speakers, and interactive learning sessions on many aspects of the rice industry. Full story

WASHINGTON, DC -- Last Friday, the United States Trade Representative (USTR) filed an appeal to the World Trade Organization's (WTO) October ruling that the U.S. Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) rule was a violation of United States' WTO obligations. This means that the WTO's appellate body has 60 days to report on the appeal and, based on the outcome of that report, WTO arbitration could begin as early as April 2015 if the United States remains out of compliance and Canada and Mexico continue to seek trade retaliation. Full story

TAIPEI, TAIWAN -- The American Institute of Taiwan's Agricultural Affairs Office reported that Taiwan authorities have lifted the longstanding ban on U.S. long grain rice. Taiwan imposed an import ban on U.S. long grain rice immediately after the LibertyLink® incident in August 2006. Since then, the issue has been raised in several bilateral engagements by the U.S. side, both technically and under the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement annual meetings. Full story

ARLINGTON, VA -- At the request of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the USA Rice Federation recently submitted information to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Pollinator Health Task Force on the value of a class of seed treatments used on rice seeds. The seed treatment in question is neonicotinoids, a class of insecticides introduced two decades ago and adopted by farmers around the world because of their effectiveness in controlling harmful and destructive crop pests. Full story

USA Rice extends condolences to the family and friends of Marlin O. "Sonny" Martin, 73, of Bernie, MO, who passed away on November 26. Full story