They're all about U.S.-grown rice

ARLINGTON, VA -- This month, USA Rice is working with registered dietitians to promote U.S.-grown rice through the Live Right program at ShopRite, a chain of more than 250 grocery stores in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. Shoppers will be educated on the health, environmental, and culinary benefits of U.S.-grown rice through the Wellness e-Newsletter and in-store activities.

Distributed to more than 110,000 customers, ShopRite's Wellness e-Newsletter, A Serving of Health, provides shoppers with healthy recipes, as well as resources and tips for healthy living. This month, there is an entire section called "Make Over Your Meals with U.S.-Grown Rice," encouraging consumers to add U.S.-grown rice to their shopping list. The newsletter features key messages about rice and USA Rice's recipe for Teriyaki Salmon with Gingered Vegetable Brown Rice.

U.S.-grown rice will be featured in the Dietitian's Selection Program from now through July, and in the Dietitian's Selection section of the Wellness Circular Insert, that reaches 10 million shoppers each week. U.S. rice will also be included on the Dietitian's Selection Shopping List that customers can pick up at all ShopRite stores, and is called out on shelves as a Dietitian's Selection. The retail dietitian team, active at 115 stores, uses this shopping list and incorporates these items into store tours, community events, and one-on one-consultations.  

"Consumers look to dietitians as a credible source on healthy living and eating," said Paul Galvani, USA Rice's retail subcommittee chairman. "So building relationships with these dietitians and providing them with information they can in turn share with patrons is integral to our goal of increasing awareness of U.S. rice."

Contact:  Katie Maher (703) 236-1453

Rice's new best-seller

ARLINGTON, VA -- Yesterday USA Rice hosted a briefing by members of the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) research team that conducted the yearlong study on the factors and policies affecting the global competitiveness of the U.S. rice industry. The study, "Rice: Global Competitiveness of the U.S. Industry," is known as a Section 332 investigation and examined the rice industry in the U.S. and in major producing and exporting countries, such as China, India, Thailand, Vietnam, Uruguay, and Brazil.

The study looked at the impact on the U.S. rice industry of exports from competitor countries to the U.S. and traditional U.S. markets like Mexico, Haiti, and West Africa and found that although the U.S. rice is high quality and enjoys favorable tariff treatment from markets such as Mexico and Central America, competition is on the rise.

"We used this is an opportunity for our Washington staff to get deeper into the specifics of the study," said USA Rice President & CEO Betsy Ward. "We're grateful the ITC experts were willing to provide their insight and interpretations, share anecdotes, and answer many questions from our staff."

Contact:  Deborah Willenborg (703) 236-1444

Around the Country

Missouri Farmer Helps Chipotle Go Beyond Non-GMO Yahoo

Steve McKaskle, owner of McKaskle Family Farm, the only organic rice farm in Missouri, supplies a growing number of Chipotle restaurants in his region with organic long grain white and brown rice.

Two Keys to Weed Control Success in 2015 Delta Farm Press

The success or failure of this year's weed control programs will be determined by (1) how you coordinate residual herbicides with rainfall events and (2) how you time postemergence herbicide applications.

Around the World

Why Corn -- Not Rice -- is King in China National Geographic

Corn production has jumped nearly 125 percent over the past 25 years, while rice has increased only 7 percent, according to the World Bank. A taste for meat is behind the change, since the majority of corn is used to feed pigs, chickens, and cows.

Yingluck-Shinawatra Pleads Not Guilty to Negligence over Thailand Rice Subsidy  

New York Times

Ms. Yingluck was removed from office in a coup one year ago and retroactively impeached in January by the military junta that replaced her. The impeachment means she is barred from politics for five years.

Science and Technology

Fake Rice Made with Plastic Spreading Across Asia Shanghaiist.com

The fake rice is made by mixing potatoes, sweet potatoes and synthetic resin, according to the International Business Times. Health experts have warned that consuming the fake grains could seriously damage the digestive system.

Farming Data Continues to be Hot in Silicon Valley Fortune

Between 2013 and 2014 Silicon Valley's interest in backing agriculture and food-related startups soared, doubling in terms of deal size, according to data from the Cleantech Group.

Tariffs and Trade

Rice is Sticky Issue for Japan in Trans-Pacific Trade Talks Wall Street Journal

In talks this year, Japan suggested it might create a special import quota of 50,000 tons or so of table rice just for the U.S., according to a person briefed on the talks. The U.S. wants more, while Japanese farmers say even that concession is too great and might invite requests from other rice exporters within the TPP such as Australia and Vietnam.

Still Time to Fix COOL Agriculture.com

Representatives of the Canadian government and the meat-packing industry have told Senator Chuck Grassley that having a generic North American label of origin would fix the problems cited by the WTO. In the House, where COOL seems to have less support, Agriculture Chairman Michael Conaway and 61 cosponsors Tuesday introduced a bill to repeal mandatory Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) requirements for beef, pork, and chicken products (H.R. 2393).