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Wednesday, May 6, 2015
Think Rice Education Program Earns High Marks from Teachers

 

Teacher
Welcome back, rice!
ARLINGTON, VA -- In honor of March National Nutrition Month, USA Rice distributed the Think Rice educational lesson plan to more than 2,800 elementary schools in rice-growing counties across the six states. USA Rice partnered with the award-winning curriculum experts at Young Minds Inspired (YMI) to develop the program to meet national standards for 3rd - 6th grade students in social studies, science, and nutrition. As of mid-April, the program reached an estimated 9,000 teachers and 330,000 students and families.

 

"Teachers were encouraged to return comment cards measuring use, effectiveness, and appeal of the program, and we received a 32 percent response rate, which is right on par with other YMI education plans," said Katie Maher, USA Rice's manager of domestic promotion. "What's even better, is that there were 500 randomly distributed surveys and 74 percent of those were returned, which is well above average."

 

Ninety-seven percent of teachers rated the program's educational effectiveness as "good-excellent." The Think Rice kit contained three student activities, a classroom poster, and a teacher's guide. The student activities covered topics including: the history of rice in America, the environmental benefits of growing and eating U.S. rice, and the important role U.S. rice plays in a balanced diet.

 

Of the teachers who received the materials, 82 percent used (or plan to use) the Think Rice materials, 89 percent displayed the wall poster, and 87 percent shared (or plan to share) the program with other teachers.    

The program materials were downloaded more than 1,300 times from YMI's website and will be available indefinitely so teachers from all around the country can use the activities.

 

Below are a few quotes from teacher comment cards and surveys:

  • "It's very important for our kids to know where rice comes from and its nutritional importance. Thank you." - CA teacher
  • "Wonderful program. Kids enjoyed it. Will use it next year too!" - AR teacher
  • "Enjoyed the poster. Its message is clear and has great information to share." - MO teacher
  • "Good lesson because it ties in nicely with nutrition and MyPlate too!" - MS teacher
  • "Great information. This is a great way to get children interested." - LA teacher
  • "An excellent program. My co-teachers enjoyed it as well. Thank you." -- TX teacher

"It's great to hear that the Think Rice program is a beneficial tool for teachers to integrate into the curriculum," said Byron Holmes, chairman of the USA Rice Nutrition Subcommitee. "This is something we can use for years to come because teachers have confirmed its educational quality and because it covers important topics for the U.S. rice industry, which are coincidentally topics of great interest to teachers and students."

 

Contact:  Deborah Willenborg (703) 236-1444

CCC Announces Prevailing World Market Prices 
WASHINGTON, DC -- The Department of Agriculture's Commodity Credit Corporation today announced the following prevailing world market prices of milled and rough rice, adjusted for U.S. milling yields and location, and the resulting marketing loan-gain (MLG) and loan deficiency payment (LDP) rates applicable to the 2014 crop, which became effective today at 7:00 a.m., Eastern Time (ET).  Prices are unchanged from the previous announcement.

 
World Price
MLG/LDP Rate
 
Milled Value ($/cwt)
Rough ($/cwt)
Rough ($/cwt)
Long-Grain
15.44
10.00  
0.00
Medium-/Short-Grain
15.04
10.13
0.00
Brokens
  9.31
----
----

This week's prevailing world market prices and MLG/LDP rates are based on the following U.S. milling yields and the corresponding loan rates:

 
U.S. Milling Yields
Whole/Broken
(lbs/cwt)
Loan Rate
($/cwt)
Long-Grain
57.21/12.55
6.64
Medium-/Short-Grain
61.89/8.83
6.51
 
The next program announcement is scheduled for May 13, 2015.    
CME Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures   
CME Group (Prelim):  Closing Rough Rice Futures for May 6

Month
Price
Net Change
May 2015$9.545
 - $0.175
July 2015$9.795
- $0.180
September 2015$10.065
- $0.180
November 2015$10.315
- $0.180
January 2016$10.555
- $0.175
March 2016
$10.605
- $0.175
May 2016
$10.605
- $0.175

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Weekly Rail Service Reporting Needs to be Permanent, Grain Group Says  

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Science and Technology

US Gives Farmers Approval to Spray Crops from Drones ABC News

A drone large enough to carry tanks of fertilizers and pesticides has won rare approval from federal authorities to spray crops in the United States, officials said Tuesday.

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