Right to work

ARLINGTON, VA - The USA Rice Federation is pleased to welcome Ben Mosely as the new Vice President of Government Affairs.  

Mosely comes to USA Rice from the U.S. Senate where he was most recently a senior staff member for the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. In that role, Ben advised the Ranking Republican Member, Senator Thad Cochran (R-MS), on commodity and risk management programs, including cotton, rice, soybeans, corn, peanuts and crop insurance. Mosely was instrumental in getting the 2014 Farm Bill drafted and passed, including strong advocacy for rice industry priorities.

Prior to his work on the Agriculture Committee, Ben worked on agriculture issues for Senator Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) and served on the Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission.

"Ben's arrival is perfectly situated: after passage of the Farm Bill, but during the crucial implementation stage," said Betsy Ward, USA Rice's president and CEO. "Ben's deep understanding of the Farm Bill, and his strong conservation credentials, make him a great asset to our organization and our members. I know they join me in welcoming Ben."

Mosely is a native of Donalsonville, Georgia and he fully appreciates the impact federal farm policy has on rural communities. When not working on farm policy, Ben enjoys duck hunting, fishing, and golf.

Contact: Colleen Klemczewski (703) 236-1446 

Thistletown Knows Rice!

TORONTO, CANADA -- Earlier this month, the "Wrap up with Rice Culinary Challenge" featured 12 Toronto high school students who faced off at the Loblaws® Cooking School at Maple Leaf Gardens. The "Wrap Up with Rice" event, was part of feed tomorrow, a week-long series of events dedicated to raising awareness and money to help feed Toronto school children.  

Three teams of four students were allotted one hour to create their rice-based masterpieces in front of a panel of media judges, a celebrity chef, members of the Toronto District School Board, and the Toronto Foundation for Student Success (TFSS).

Students began preparing for the competition in September at the twelve Toronto high schools offering a Culinary Arts and Tourism program. The students were asked to create an original rice recipe with ingredients that could be found at a local grocery store. Rice was stressed as a food staple in the competition due to its affordability, practicality, and cultural relevance.

Following intense deliberations, the judges ranked the recipes as follows:

1^st place : Jacked up Jerk created by Thistletown Collegiate Institute

2^nd place: Crispy Sushi Pancake with Asian-Style Salad by Western Tech Collegiate Institute

3^rd place: The Rain Forest Spicy Garlic Shrimp with Coconut Rice by Heydon Park Secondary School

Contact: Sarah Moran (703) 236-1457 

Around Washington

ARC or PLC -- who gets to decide? FarmWeekNow.com

Under the 2014 farm bill, producers not landowners decide whether to select Agricultural Risk Coverage (ARC) or Price Loss Coverage (PLC).

Food Policy Action Grades Congress on 'Food Movement' Issues AgriPulse

Food Policy Action, a group that formed in 2012 "to hold legislators accountable on votes that have an effect on food and farming," has released its latest scorecard for members of the 113th Congress.

Around the Country

Is California's drought worse than the Dust Bowl? The Christian Science Monitor

The catastrophic 1934 drought is one of the worst North America droughts on record, and was caused, in part, by an atmospheric condition that may have led to the current drought in California, a new study finds.

When Our Responses to Drought Make Things Worse - Huffington Post (Opinion)

Analysis from the Pacific Institute shows that many of the fundamental responses of California water users to severe drought actually make the state's overall water conditions worse.

Around the World

Japan's 'sacred' rice farms rotting from inside Phys.org

Prices have tumbled as Japan's rice consumption has halved in 50 years, and there are fears the sector is rotting from the inside despite-or some say, because of-decades-old protectionism.

Nigeria's New Rice Policy Attracts U.S.$1.6 Billion Private Sector Investments Daily Independent

Nigeria could become a net exporter of rice within the next four years.

India's total rice output unlikely to fall below 100 mln tons Business Standard

Food prices soar in Ebola-hit countries, aid workers deliver rations KDAL

Food prices have risen by an average of 24 percent across the three countries worst hit by the Ebola outbreak, the World Food Program (WFP) said on Friday, as aid workers scrambled to distribute emergency rations to the hungry.