The Arkansas Legislature recently passed a measure that sets strict definitions for a host of agricultural products, including rice, and requires food companies to accurately label their products. Gov. Asa Hutchison subsequently signed it into law, creating Act 501. The state legislation is an offshoot of efforts by USA Rice federally to have the Food and Drug Administration establish a ... Read More »
Horizon Ag Clearfield rice and Provisia rice varieties – CL163 and PVL01 – ranked among the top three varieties for quality in a recent cooking test that compared samples from a previous shipment of U.S. rice to Brazilian and Nicaraguan varieties. The cooking test was part of a recent USA Rice mission to distribute long-grain rice samples to the two ... 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 »
To say you’re sustainable is one thing. But to put numbers to that statement — and numbers that show substantial improvement in using resources more efficiently — is quite another. USA Rice recently released the executive summary of its “2018 U.S. Rice Industry Sustainability Report” that cataloged the industry’s improvements during the past 36 years. We’re not talking small gains, ... Read More »
USA Rice truck tour gives away free rice cookers to help dispel fears of cooking rice. • By Vicky Boyd, Editor • USA Rice took to the road this fall to promote the virtues of U.S.-grown rice and try to demystify cooking of the grain. As part of the #RideWithRice program, USA Rice staff in a bright green decorated pick-up truck ... Read More »
The Louisiana rice industry donated more than 100,000 pounds of rice in late September to feed the state’s hungry as part of National Rice Month. Early in the week, south Louisiana rice mills donated about 50,000 pounds of rice to the Second Harvest Food Bank, and the Kennedy Rice Mill of Mer Rouge donated 48,000 pounds the following day in ... Read More »
If you know a grower or entity that has embraced sustainability through innovative practices and leadership, they might be a perfect candidate for the second annual USA Rice Sustainability Award. Now in its second year, the award is designed to highlight rice’s unique environmental qualities and the men and women who improve its sustainability every day, according to a new ... 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 »
It appears the Food and Drug Administration may begin enforcing a standard of identity that defines milk as a “lacteal secretion, practically free from colostrum, obtained by the complete milking of one or more healthy cows.” This would mean the plant-based beverages made from ingredients, such as almonds, soybeans, hemp and even rice, would have to change the term “milk” ... Read More »
Charley Mathews Jr., a rice producer from Marysville, California, was elected chairman of USA Rice, replacing Brian King who will complete his term at the end of July. Mathews will assume his new role on Aug. 1. In addition, Frank Carey was elected chairman of The Rice Foundation. Carey, with Valent LLC, replaces Mathews, who served as chairman of The Rice ... Read More »
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