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Thursday, February 26, 2015

Impressive Speakers, Positive Results at USA Rice Government Affairs Conference   

WASHINGTON, DC -- The USA Rice Federation's annual Government Affairs Conference concluded here yesterday after three days of meetings with legislators, regulators, and federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agriculture Service (FAS), Farm Service Agency (FSA), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the Environmental Protection Agency, the State Department's U.S. Agency for International Development, and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.

 

Representatives from all six rice producing states conducted more than 53 meetings on Capitol Hill with Congressmen, Senators, and legislative staff specializing in agriculture and trade issues, met with the Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Agriculture Committee, and shared rice priorities with staff at the Senate Agriculture Appropriations, Senate Finance, and House Ways & Means Committees.

 

Attendees also had question and answer sessions with Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Deputy Commissioner Mike Taylor, and Dr. Susan Mayne, the newly installed Director of the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition at FDA.

 

FAS Administrator Phil Karsting and Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Jerry Moran (R-KS) addressed the group's General Session and both took questions as well.

 

Other events included the annual USA Rice-Ducks Unlimited Capitol Hill luncheon that drew both House and Senate officials, and PAC events for Senator Moran and Representative Rick Crawford (R-AR).

   

"This was a very successful conference with participation from all corners of the industry," said USA Rice Federation Chairman Dow Brantley.  "And as we heard one of the speakers say, as farmers, we can't just sit back and think, 'well the farm bill is passed for five years, we can just go back to farming.'  That's not the world we live in anymore, we need to be engaged and stay active and informed."

 

Below are photo highlights from the conference.

 

Contact:  Michael Klein (703) 236-1458

USA Rice CEO Betsy Ward and
Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack


LA rice producer John Owen and Senator Jerry Moran (r)

Chairman Dow Brantley (center)
at the General Session

FDA's Mike Taylor
and Susan Mayne (r)


Rep. Rick Crawford and
AR rice farmer Steve Orlicek


Rep. Ralph Abraham (R-LA) meets with Louisiana members

House Ag Committee's
Collin Peterson (D-MN)
and Mike Conaway (R-TX)

 address producers

At the USA Rice - Ducks Unlimited luncheon:  CRC CEO Tim Johnson, Betsy Ward, and USDA Under Secretary Michael Scuse

Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS) (second from left) meets with Mississippi rice producers

Meeting with Senate
Finance Committee


Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX) receives USA Rice Industry Champion Award

Texas rice producers Linda and
L.G. Raun talk trade with
Rep. Randy Weber's (R-TX) staff


 

Senator Roy Blunt (R-MO) (center) entertains Missouri delegation

Weekly Rice Sales, Exports Reported        

WASHINGTON, DC -- Net rice sales of 95,400 MT for 2014/2015 were down 3 percent from the previous week, but up 20 percent from the prior four-week average, according to today's Export Sales Highlights report.  Increases were reported for Japan (48,200 MT), Mexico (16,200 MT), Saudi Arabia (8,100 MT), Haiti (7,400 MT), and Jordan (5,200 MT). 

Exports of 93,700 MT were up noticeably from the previous week and from the prior four-week average.  The primary destinations were Mexico (38,200 MT), Colombia (27,500 MT), Haiti (20,900 MT), Jordan (2,200 MT), and Canada (1,500 MT).

This summary is based on reports from exporters from the period February 13-19.
CME Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures   
CME Group (Prelim):  Closing Rough Rice Futures for February 26

Month
Price
Net Change
March 2015$10.385
- $0.110
May 2015$10.655
- $0.115
July 2015$10.900
- $0.110
September 2015$10.975
- $0.110
November 2015$11.140
- $0.120
January 2016$11.230
- $0.120
March 2016$11.230
- $0.120

In the News 

Around the Country

Arkansas Farmers Meet with Arkansas Congressional Delegation KASU

Farmers, merchants and millers from the Arkansas Rice Federation met Wednesday with all six members of the state's congressional delegation during the USA Rice Federation's Government Affairs Conference.

 

At the Agricultural Outlook Forum, Prognosticators Peer Ahead to 2060 USDA Blog

A few things are fairly certain:  There will be more people, and with a highly diffused American water management system, it will be a challenge to adapt. People will take priority over crops like rice.  Every drop of water will count.

 

Farmers Get Some Breathing Room on Base, Yield Decision Delta Farm Press

Farmers who wish to reallocate base acres and update yields can contact their county Farm Service Agency office and make an appointment to do so later if they cannot complete the paperwork by Friday's national deadline.

 

New Farm Bill Guarantees No Payments Southwest Farm Press

The Farm Bill Decision Aid tool allows growers to calculate the impact of a number of different farm program options on their individual farming operations.

 

 

Tariffs and Trade

Senate Hearing Postponed as TPA Talks Continue Agri-Pulse

The Senate Finance Committee postponed a trade hearing set for Thursday, a sign that talks are progressing on a bill to provide President Obama with the negotiating authority needed to complete a Pacific Rim trade deal.

 

 

Health and Nutrition

Rice is the New Meat NBC News

Video report about how Americans are increasingly looking to add more protein to their diets, and rice protein is seen as an attractive alternative.

 

Vilsack Assures Lawmakers Dietary Guidelines will Focus on Nutrition Agri-Pulse

Chairman of the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee, Robert Aderholt, R-AK, asked Vilsack for assurance that the final guidelines, which will be drafted by USDA and the Department of Health and Human Services, would not include the environmental factors.

 

Vilsack: Smart Phones Could Tell Consumers What's in Food Washington Post

Vilsack told members of Congress on Wednesday that consumers could just use their phones to scan special bar codes or other symbols on food packages in the grocery store. All sorts of information could pop up, such as whether the food's ingredients include genetically modified organisms, or GMOs.

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