2014 Arkansas Rice Expo Recipe Contest
Ingenious with ingredients? The 2014 Arkansas Rice Expo Recipe Contest is your chance to show off your culinary cunning. “Sweet or savory, sticky or fragrant, rice is the perfect canvas to showcase your kitchen talents, whether you’re an A-lister with appetizers or dexterous with desserts,” says Keith Cleek, Phillips County Extension agent with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. The third annual contest will be held Friday, Aug. 1, in conjunction with the Arkansas Rice Expo at the Grand Prairie Center in Stuttgart. The deadline for entries to be received is June 10, and winners of the preliminary round will be notified by July 1. Rice in any form must be the prominent ingredient in the recipe, and ingredients should be easily obtained in any local grocery store. Mail entry forms to: Keith A Cleek, AEA-EFNEP/FCS Phillips County, P.O. Box 684, Helena, AR, 72342. Each entry will be reviewed by the Rice Expo Recipe Committee, and the top 10 will be selected for presentation on Aug. 1. The top 10 contestants will be notified by July 1. The top 10 entries will be judged on the basis of the recipe and the dishes’ appearance. Winners must be present at the awards presentation to receive prizes. Winners who fail to appear at the presentation will automatically forfeit all awards. Prizes will be given for the first-, second- and third-place winners. The first place winner’s recipe will be highlighted in the 2015 Rice Expo Cookbook. For more information or a complete list of the rules, contact your local County Extension Office or visit the web page at www.uaex.edu.
California Grower Farm Bill Tool Available
Well-known attorney Tim Kelleher has developed an information spreadsheet on the Farm Bill for growers to plug in information on their operations to assist them in determining which programs best meet their needs. This information can be found at Calrice.org/FarmBillTool or go to CalRice.org and click on “Grower Farm Bill Tool,” which is located on the home page.
Arkansas, National Leaders Honor Bumpers
To mark the celebration of the newly named Dale Bumpers White River National Wildlife Refuge, here is a sampling of what Arkansas and national leaders are saying about the 38th Governor of Arkansas and four-term U.S. Senator: Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe: “Senator Bumpers has been a tireless protector of our environment and understands the need to preserve our natural legacy for future generations. Naming the White River Refuge for Dale will also help preserve his own legacy for future generations, a step I’m sure he’d say can mean only good things for our state. It is that charming confidence and dedicated service that have made Dale a beloved Arkansan to millions, including me.” David Houghton, President, National Wildlife Refuge Association: “I can’t think of a more fitting tribute to one of the Refuge System’s greatest supporters than naming the White River National Wildlife Refuge after Senator Dale Bumpers. Bumpers is a living legend who played a pivotal role in creating the 80-mile corridor connecting the Cache River and White River refuges. People and wildlife have him to thank for this lasting conservation legacy.”
New CRC Chairman Elected
Congratulations to Rob Paschoal of Farmers’ Rice Cooperative, who was elected chairman of the California Rice Commission. Paschoal presented outgoing chairman Charley Mathews Jr. with artwork during the November CRC Board Meeting as a thank you for his service to the industry.
CA Rice Fields Subject Of New Art Work
The beauty of area rice fields in summer and winter will be featured in two new artworks commissioned on behalf of this industry. The California Rice Commission has been working with artist Phil Gross on paintings that will be part of its Legislative outreach in 2015. Gross is finalizing a painting depicting a low-level aerial view of a rice field in the Grimes area during the summer. A second painting focuses on a shallowly flooded rice field in Richvale during the winter. The paintings will be featured on the 2015 California Rice Box, which will be delivered to key audiences including legislators, regulators, decision makers, opinion leaders and media. The original artwork will be used to further promote California rice. The artistry will also be made into limited-edition giclee prints for CRC outreach. The scenery has provided great inspiration to the artist. “The Sacramento Valley is amazing,” Gross says. “The colors you get here are unlike any other landscape. It’s beautiful land.”
Respected Texas Rice Scientist, Dr. Garry McCauley, Retires
Dr. Mo Way, rice research entomologist with Texas A&M, offers the following comments on Dr. McCauley’s distinguished career: I want to recognize Dr. Garry McCauley, who retired March 31 of this year. Garry began work with the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station in 1975, so he retired after 39 years of outstanding service to the Texas and U.S. rice industries. Garry once told me within a few days of being hired that he had to give a rice field day presentation at the Beaumont Center. Poor Garry, he had never put a boot in a rice field but was expected to inform growers about the latest research on water management in rice.
Garry was the first scientist in the United States to conduct water management experiments in rice. He made many important discoveries with direct benefit to producers. In 1988, Garry also assumed leadership of the weed management research program. In addition, in 1995, Garry transferred from the Beaumont Center to the David R. Wintermann Rice Research Station at Eagle Lake, where he effectively became the rice specialist for Texas, which involved both research and Extension duties. He became the go-to scientist for rice farmers on the west side of Houston. Garry served as Secretary and Chair of the Rice Technical Working Group in 2006 and 2008, respectively, which required a tremendous amount of time and effort. Furthermore, Garry has received many awards during his professional career, including the Distinguished Rice Research and Education Award presented by the Rice Technical Working Group for efforts as part of a team to develop and implement the Econo-Rice program.
In 1996, Garry was a co-recipient of the Clean Texas 2000 Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence in Agriculture for his work improving water-use efficiency in the Texas Rice Belt. Then in 2012, he received the Distinguished Rice Research and/or Education Team Award for significant contributions in rice field nitrogen use efficiency and the Distinguished Service Award, both from the Rice Technical Working Group, for his many years of service benefitting the Texas and U.S. rice industries. Garry is married to his beautiful wife, Ruth, who taught school many years in El Campo. Ruth is semi-retired, but still substitute teaches. Garry and Ruth were high school sweethearts in Oklahoma and have been married 49 years this August. They have two daughters, Paula and Jo-Ann, and five grandchildren. Garry and Ruth love to travel and read. I have received several postcards from Garry and Ruth cruising on their motorcycles! So, Dr. Garry McCauley and Ruth, on behalf of the entire Texas rice industry, I wish you many years of blissful retirement and may you never have to slog through another muddy rice field!