WASHINGTON, DC -- Today Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced a one month extension for producers to update yield history and reallocate base acres for the new commodity programs established by the 2014 Farm Bill.  The previous cutoff date had been today, but the new deadline is now March 31, 2015.

 

"This flexibility provided by the department is greatly appreciated by farmers in every state and region, but is especially important to those of us in rice producing regions as we are already in the field preparing ground for this year's crop,"  said John Owen, a Louisiana grower and Chairman of the USA Rice Federation Producers' Group.  "Without this extension, thousands of farmers would not have the opportunity to align the new programs with their most recent plantings and yields and would be substantially disadvantaged in what looks to be a rough few years in farm country due to depressed commodity prices."

 

If no changes are made to yield history or base acres by March 31, 2015, the farm's current yield and base will be used.  Additionally, a program election of ARC or PLC coverage also must be made by March 31, 2015, or there will be no 2014 payments for the farm and the farm will default to PLC coverage through the 2018 crop year.

 

"I hope everyone takes these deadlines seriously," Owen said, "if all the owners and producers involved in an operation aren't on the same page and haven't signed the proper documentation, no financial assistance will be available for losses from last year's crop."  

 

Owen encouraged all growers to visit or call their local FSA office today.

 

Contact:  Ben Mosely (703) 236-1471

 

Representatives from NASS answered questions and clarified reporting guidelines.  Accurate reporting of prices received by farmers is especially important this year for the successful execution of programs under the 2014 farm bill. 

 

"It is critically important the prices reported reflect what farmers are actually receiving for their rice," said Subcommittee Chairman Keith Glover.  "This will ensure U.S. farmers enrolled in the new ARC/PLC programs will be covered for losses due to uncontrollable price declines, which is the intent of the program."

 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) updated the group on the ongoing Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations.  At the subcommittee's request, FAS also shared information on Thai rice stocks and their Rice Paddy Pledging program as well as South Korea's progress implementing new tariff rates.

 

The 2013-15 USA Rice Foundation Leadership Class also attended the meeting, having graduated from their two-year program earlier in the week.  They saw first-hand the variety of topics covered by the World Market Price subcommittee, and how members work with government officials to tackle tough issues facing the U.S. rice industry.

 

Chairman Glover was pleased with the depth of topics discussed on Thursday, saying, "We expressed our most sincere appreciation to USDA and NASS for working with the U.S. rice industry."

 

Contact:  Kristen Dayton (703) 236-1464

 

"Flickr is an effective way to organize pictures into photo albums based on location and event," explained Michael Klein, USA Rice's vice president for marketing, communications, and domestic promotion.

 

"We're going to provide a structured platform for USA Rice members, the media, and nutrition professionals to access and download high resolution images that depict the many dimensions of the rice industry."

 

USA Rice's Flickr account debuts with an extensive array of pictures from the recent Government Affairs Conference and will be frequently updated with pictures of USA Rice conferences and events.  Flickr will also serve as an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at the rice industry that will keep our members informed about everything that is happening at USA Rice.

 

Klein added he's looking forward to including images of rice production to help tell the industry's story, and members are encouraged to submit pictures from their rice operations for inclusion.

 

To submit images for consideration, email Colleen Klemczewski at cklem@usarice.com.  A link to the Flickr account will be added to the USA Rice website in an effort to make it easily accessible to USA Rice members and the public.

 

Contact:  Colleen Klemczewski (703) 236-1446

USA Rice Producers' Chairman John Owen presents Rice Industry Champion Award to Rep. Mike Conaway (R-TX)	Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) and USA Rice Chairman Dow Brantley at USA Rice-DU luncheon
Rep. Charles Boustany (R-LA) meets with Louisiana delegation	Carl Brothers briefing House Ways & Means staff
Keith Glover and Nolan Canon	Chuck Wilson (third from left) enjoys lunch with the Rice Leadership Class
Rice Leadership Class at GAC General Session	From left:  Rep. Rick Crawford (R-AR)  with AR producers Steve Orlicek and Joe Mencer

 

Country of Origin	Variety	Number of Importer	Quantity (MT)	Participated Bidders	Amount of Bids (MT)
USA	Non-glutinous milled rice (medium grain)	3	36,000	20	240,000
Thailand	Non-glutinous milled rice (long grain)	3	14,856	17	92,568
Grand Total		6	50,856	37	332,568
Avg Price for Successful Bids		JPY 94,736/mt   JPY 102,315/mt	(tax excluded)   (tax included)