Michael Rue (r) shares experiences with the ITC team

ARLINGTON, VA -- A large contingent of investigators and economists from the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) visited the USA Rice Federation headquarters today to meet with staff and members for the first in a series of interviews and fact finding sessions as the ITC's Section 332 trade investigation gets underway.

Triggered by a request from the House Ways & Means Committee, the ITC is investigating the competitive factors facing the U.S. rice industry, including, but not limited to, foreign production and trade policies.  The study will also take a comprehensive look at the U.S. rice industry.

The U.S. rice industry asserts that many foreign competitors have unfair advantages built into their systems.  Of particular concern are Brazil, Thailand, and Vietnam, but India, the Philippines and others are also being included in the study.

USA Rice members Michael Rue and Dow Brantley, in town for other events, also attended the meeting.  Rue is a California grower and vice chair of the USA Rice International Trade Policy Committee and was scheduled to testify before a Senate Committee on trade. Brantley, the USA Rice chairman-elect, attended a White House agriculture event earlier in the day (see next story).

"It's important that we have a viable and fair trading regime," Rue told investigators.  "Every country has little games they play with the market, whether it's subsidies to farmers or somewhere else in the stream.  As a producer I've come to realize that I'm not just competing with a producer from another country, I'm competing with an entire system. We're counting on the ITC to find out what's really going on in these markets."

The investigators asked several questions about the U.S. system, and had specific questions about farm operations and decisions that they posed to Rue and Brantley.

"This was very helpful and I hope we'll continue these frank discussions," said Joanna Bonarriva, a USITC Lead International Trade Analyst.

A formal hearing is scheduled for September in Washington, DC where representatives of the U.S. rice industry, Members of Congress, and foreign dignitaries are expected to testify.

"We are encouraging our members to make themselves available to the investigators so they can get a complete understanding of how rice works here, so they can better understand the challenges we face when competing in the global market," added USA Rice President and CEO Betsy Ward.

Contact:  Michael Klein, (703) 236-1458

Harden: "Great time for ag."

WASHINGTON, DC -- Arkansas rice producer and chairman-elect of the USA Rice Federation Dow Brantley attended a White House Champions of Change event at the White House today on behalf of the rice industry.

The event, "The Future of American Agriculture," celebrated fifteen innovative and inspirational young farmers from across the country and across the spectrum of agriculture that the White House feels represent the future of farming.

Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Krysta Harden introduced the diverse group of farmers to the large crowd and noted, "this is a great time to be a farmer in America."

But Harden admitted she was concerned about who would be taking over farming in the future, and said the purpose of the event, and a focus of hers, was to tell positive stories about farming and to make sure anybody who wanted to farm could find the help and resources to do so.

"At USDA we want people to stay in farming if they're in it, or get into it if they want to," she said.

"Each participant has such an interesting, but different story, it was fascinating," said Brantley. "I was particularly struck by the young hydroponic farmer who speaks to schools dressed in overalls with a big straw hat. While speaking, he removes that clothing to reveal a business suit underneath. It's a clever way to send the message that farming is changing, and that there's an awful lot to it."

Contact:  Michael Klein, (703) 236-1458

Around Washington

EPA Chief Won't Ditch the Waters Rule but She is Digging for Answers National Journal

Gina McCarthy is reaching out to critics in the farm community and pledging to respond to their concerns.

USDA Implements Key Farm Bill Crop Insurance Provision USDA

The new Supplemental Coverage Option (SCO), available through the federal crop insurance program and set to begin with the 2015 crop year, is designed to help protect producers from yield and market volatility.

Around the Country

Farmers Can Still Flex Muscles in Mid-Term Elections Agri-Pulse

States that are rural have more power than they would if Senate seats were handed out proportionally by population. That inherently gives agriculture and farmers a bigger say in policy than they otherwise would have.

Harrell to Replace Saichuk as State Rice Specialist ArkLaTex.com

LSU AgCenter agronomist Dustin Harrell has been selected to become the next Louisiana rice extension specialist and will start the new job in January with the retirement of the existing rice specialist, Johnny Saichuk.

Science and Technology

Solution to World Hunger? Scientists Sequence Genome of African Rice  

International Business Times

The research allows scientists and agriculturalists to search for ways to cross Asian and African species to develop new varieties of rice with the high-yield traits of Asian rice and the hardiness of African rice.

Health and Nutrition

Cooking in a Hurry - The Many Uses of Brown Rice  

Michigan State University Extension

Homemade in minutes, economical and good for you - reach for rice.