The next frontier?

STUTTGART, AR --- The Rice Leadership Development Program recently selected the 2014 International Rice Leadership class.  To be eligible for the international class, applicants must have completed the traditional two year Rice Leadership Program. 

"One very important factor in the selection process is how the Leadership Development alumni have put their leadership training to use in serving the rice industry since graduating," said Rice Foundation Chairman Todd Burich.  "The number and quality of applicants this year was overwhelming which is an indication of the graduates' engagement and commitment to the industry."

"This year's international session will be held in China, a country that has great potential for the U.S. rice industry," said Burich.

Class members are: Tom Butler from Woodland, CA; Blake Gerard from Cape Girardeau, MO; Dr. Bert Greenwalt from Jonesboro, AR; Jim Whitaker from McGehee, AR; and Brian Wild from Welsh, LA.

The Rice Leadership Development Program is sponsored by John Deere Company, RiceTec, Inc, and American Commodity Company through The Rice Foundation and is managed by the USA Rice Federation.

Contact:  Chuck Wilson (870) 673-7541

Starting the school year right with brown rice for lunch

ARLINGTON, VA - September marks National Rice Month and students' return to school. To celebrate U.S.-grown rice in school cafeterias, USA Rice Federation is conducting its annual Healthy Brown Rice on the Menu Contest for kindergarten through 12th grade school foodservice operators.  The contest focuses on using whole grain rice in breakfast, lunch, and rice bowl categories to encourage menu planners to create meals that appeal to students while also meeting the school nutrition requirements.

"This contest is an excellent way to applaud schools for serving and thinking of creative ways to use brown rice on their menus," said John Hasbrook, chairman of the USA Rice Foodservice Subcommittee.  "It's also an opportunity to share new and different K-12 brown rice recipes with schools across the country and encourage more rice usage in all healthy meal presentations."

Contest prizes include paid registration for the annual School Nutrition Association conference, a generous supply of whole grain rice for winning schools donated by InHarvest, Producers Rice Mill, Riceland Foods, Mahatma Rice, SunWest Foods, and Uncle Ben's, and Aroma rice cookers donated by Aroma Housewares.  The winning schools and rice dishes will be featured on MenuRice.com.

Last week, the contest was announced in a press release distributed to the top media outlets that are consistently read by more than 130,000 K-12 operations and in an electronic newsletter sent to more than 2,500 school menu planners.  Members are encouraged to promote the contest to schools they work with and in their community.

Contact:  Katie Maher (703) 236-1453

Around Washington

CFTC to Scrutinize Swaps Loophole Wall Street Journal

Swaps, contracts in which two parties agree to exchange payments based on fluctuations in interest rates or other benchmarks, were targeted by U.S. lawmakers for greater oversight and transparency after they played a central role in the financial crisis.

Dolcini Prepares to Install Farm Bill's New Safety Net Agweb

FSA will soon begin releasing the web-based tools that college and universities have been developing to help producers make informed decisions about their coverage options.

Washington Week Ahead: Waters of the U.S. Overreach Agri-Pulse

A bill that would prohibit the agency from implementing its plan -- H.R. 5078, Waters of the U.S. Regulatory Overreach Protection Act of 2014 - is likely to be approved by the House Rules Committee on Monday and later in the week by the full GOP-controlled House.

Around the Country

Agribiz: Bayer Cropscience Opens R&D Site in California Western Farm Press

The investment in this state-of-the-art facility creates an environment where researchers and experts can find the best possible conditions to discover solutions that growers across the globe can depend on to produce high-quality food in a sustainable manner.

Arkansas rice farmers and millers contribute more than $6 billion to the state's economy annually and account for more than 25,000 jobs, which are crucial to rural communities.

How a Texas Entrepreneur Brought Sake to Austin Upstart Biz Journal

Texas Sake Co. uses organic rice grown in Wharton and Bay City and brings in the rice in 1,000-pound batches each month to the brewery facility in a cramped warehouse off North Lamar Boulevard.

Nature Conservancy Rents Wetlands for Birds in Sacramento Valley Fresno Bee

The Nature Conservancy experiment - called BirdReturns - invites farmers to participate in a reverse auction, in which they submit competitive bids on how much it would cost to rent wetland time on their fields.

Rice Growers Overcome Planting Challenges, Expect Good Harvest  

Mississippi Business Journal

The USDA Crop Progress and Condition Report released Sept. 2 indicated that 58 percent of the state's rice crop is in good condition and 28 percent is in excellent condition. Five percent is harvested.

Trade and Tariffs

Japan - U.S. Summit Eyed if TPP Deal Reached Japan Times

Political observers in Washington say the chances of the United States dealing with Japan's position in a flexible manner ahead of the midterm congressional elections in November look slim.

Health and Nutrition

The Future of Medicine is in the Kitchen Huffington Post

A study published by University of North Carolina researchers found that only 25 percent of medical schools required a dedicated nutrition course and students received, on average only 19.6 hours of nutrition instruction, down from 22.3 hours in 2004.