The annual USA Rice Outlook Conference may last only a few days every December, but for us, it’s a year-round job. While the exhibitors are packing up their booths and the attendees are heading home to prepare for the holidays, we’re crouching at the starting gate for the next Outlook. We hit the ground running every January, integrating the lessons ... Read More »
For the past several years, we have been taking on rice pretenders — that’s food marketed as some new-fangled rice that contains no rice at all. And last month, pretenders were dealt a heavy blow, thanks to a common-sense bill passed by the Arkansas Legislature that promotes truth in labeling of agricultural products. The bill establishes a standard of identity ... Read More »
Farmers know more than anyone the importance of good tools. To get the job done, you need the right tools, and if you don’t have them, the work will be harder, take longer and won’t yield the same results. We at USA Rice understand all too well how low farm-gate prices, rising input costs and our country’s many trade disputes ... Read More »
By now, it cannot be doubted that the U.S. rice industry leads the way when it comes to sustainability in agriculture. Whether it’s providing essential wildlife habitat, conserving water and soil, or technical innovations that use less energy and decrease emissions, rice farmers and millers have made enormous strides in the past 30 years and continue to dedicate themselves to ... Read More »
After more than two years of work, discussing and debating policies and ironing out the kinks, the 2018 Farm Bill has finally been passed and signed into law, and it’s due largely in part to the perseverance and hard work of USA Rice members. You told us what you needed from the Farm Bill, and we took it to Capitol ... Read More »
USA Rice kicked off the third leg of the Think Rice Road Trip in October. And it seems to me like a good time to take a look in the rearview mirror and reflect on the many rice success stories from the past year as our journey culminates at the USA Rice Outlook Conference in San Diego in December. Anyone ... Read More »
If you are high school seniors bound for college or know of one, the National Rice Month Scholarship contest may be for him or her. The program, which involves creating a video, is open to graduating students from Arkansas, California, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Texas. They simply create and submit a three-minute video to heighten awareness and promote U.S.-grown rice. The ... Read More »
The Rice Foundation is accepting applications for the 2019 Rice Leadership Development Program. Rice producers or industry-related professionals between the ages of 25 and 45 are eligible to apply for the program. The application deadline is Oct. 5. The Rice Leadership Development Program provides a comprehensive understanding of the rice industry, with an emphasis on personal development and communication skills. ... Read More »
I want to assure you that even though this column is going on hiatus for the summer, our work continues unabated. We will spend the summer as we do every season — finding and opening new markets, expanding opportunities in existing markets, and fighting threats to the U.S. industry here and abroad. Read More »
As far as adages go, “The customer is always right” is one of the most famous; another is that “an army marches on its stomach.” I’ve created a combined version — a hybrid if you will — “The customer’s stomach is always right.” In addition to tracking rice import statistics and domestic acreage that give us a sense of the ... Read More »
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