Hard at work in the   USA Rice prep kitchen.

ARLINGTON, VA -- Summer is intern season in Washington, DC, and the USA Rice Federation is pleased to have Lydia Holmes filling this role for the next few months.  Lydia recently graduated from Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee, with a degree in political science, and will be returning to the classroom in the fall when she begins her master's program in public administration at George Washington University.

Lydia will be helping the Government Affairs, Domestic Promotion, and Communications teams this summer, and will be on hand for this year's July business meetings as well.

Lydia is no stranger to the rice industry, having grown up on a rice farm in Forrest City, Arkansas, and serving as Miss Arkansas Rice in 2009.  She is the only daughter of Brenda and Byron Holmes.

Attendees gather at Southwest LA Field Day yesterday on Jimmy Hoppe's farm.

KINDER, LA -- During the coming weeks rice growers will have the opportunity to receive the latest research results and recommendations from scientists throughout rice country. Mark your calendars and plan to attend the field day nearest you.

Contact: Randy Jemison, (337) 738-7009

June 12 -- Acadia Parish and Rice Research Station South Farm Field Day

8:00 a.m.

LSU AgCenter Rice Research Station South Farm

Hwy 13 South, Crowley, LA

Contact:  Barrett A. Courville, bcourville@agcenter.lsu.edu 

June 24 -- 40th Eagle Lake Field Day and Program
4:00 p.m.

Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center

Eagle Lake, TX
Contact: Dr. Ted Wilson, lt-wilson@aesrg.tamu.edu 

June 25 -- LSU AgCenter Rice Field Day
7:30-9:15 a.m.

Field Tours -- Program begins at 10:45 a.m. and concludes with lunch
LSU AgCenter Rice Research Station

1373 Caffey Rd., Rayne, LA
Contact:  Dr. Steve Linscombe (337) 788-7531 or slinscombe@agcenter.lsu.edu 

Around Washington

U.S. Senators Press for Prevented Crop Coverage Insurancenewsnet.com

U.S. Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) wrote a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack asking that he take prevented planting losses into account in a new safety net program created by the 2014 Farm Bill.

Around the Country

Dow AgroSciences feels it is important to get students excited about agriculture, and the USA Rice Federation scholarships are a great way to spark that enthusiasm.

Herbicide Shortages Making Weed Control Difficult Delta Farm Press

It was surprising to hear that so many post-applied herbicides were running short when the post season had just started. Hopefully, industry will have addressed some of these issues by the time this article comes out.

Survey: Consumer Confidence in Food Supply Still High Western Farm Press

Attitudes were different among Millennials and moms (ages 18-34) in some key areas. For instance, 39 percent of those in this group want more information on food labels; 14 percent say nutritional information is the top desired addition to food labels; and, more saw sustainability as more important than other age group

Around the World

Some Pacific Trade Partners Aim for Deal in Coming Months: Source Reuters

Some officials close to the talks told Reuters they worried about a closing window of opportunity to finalize talks with U.S. mid-term elections in November.

Thai Rice Exporters Say Top Ranking Regained Washington Post

The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization forecast in April that Thailand will export 8.7 million tons in 2014, behind India at 9.5 million tons.

World Needs Un GMO Watchdog - Russia RT

Russian authorities are taking measures to contain uncontrollable spread of GMO foods against the background of regular worldwide mass rallies over the distribution of GMO products created by transnational corporations, such as Monsanto.