Consumer favorite

MADRID, SPAIN -- Ebro Foods, parent company of Riviana Foods, Inc., announced today it has acquired the U.S. consumer rice business division of RiceTec AG and RiceTec, Inc. which manufactures and markets products under the brand RiceSelect® in a deal valued at $45 million.

The transaction includes the brand and certain other assets of the business, including a production plant in Alvin, Texas and a workforce of 42 employees.

"The RiceSelect business is a perfect complement to Riviana's portfolio," the company said in a press release announcing the acquisition. "It will boost the company's development in the fastest growing segments of the North American rice market...furthering its investment in high value added products and achieving significant positioning in the healthy foods segment through new concepts."

Contact:  Michael Klein (703) 236-1458

Session One includes a tour of the LSU Rice Research Station.

STUTTGART, AR -- The Rice Foundation is accepting applications for the 2016 Rice Leadership Development Program. Rice producers or industry-related professionals between the ages of 25 and 45 are eligible to apply for the program. The application deadline is October 3.

The Rice Leadership Development Program provides a comprehensive understanding of the rice industry, with an emphasis on personal development and communication skills. During a two-year period, class members attend four one-week sessions designed to strengthen leadership skills through studies of all aspects of the rice industry.

The class is comprised of five rice producers and two industry-related professionals chosen by a committee of agribusiness leaders. The committee evaluates the applications of all candidates, reviews letters of recommendation, and conducts personal interviews with the finalists. Interviews will be conducted at the USA Rice Outlook Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana, in December.

The program is sponsored by John Deere Company, RiceTec, Inc., and American Commodity Company through The Rice Foundation and managed by the USA Rice Federation.

Additional information on the Rice Leadership Development Program and an application form can be found on the USA Rice website.

Contact:  Chuck Wilson (870) 673-7541

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Around the Country

Heart of Louisiana: Conrad Rice Mill WVUE-TV Fox

Video tour of a rice mill that has been in production since 1912. Mike Davis, a former teacher and farmer who bought the rice mill from the Conrad family in 1975 mills mostly brown rice.

Heavy Rain Creates a New Problem for Farmers Houston Chronicle

Conditions looked so dry in March that the Gulf Coast Water Authority decided to withhold deliveries of Brazos water from rice farmers for the third straight year. Ivan Langford, Gulf Coast's general manager, said the authority made the decision because of low water levels in the drought-stricken river and in reservoirs upstream of the farmers. The order cut off water deliveries for some 13,000 acres of rice fields.

Researchers, Rice Industries Exchange Information at Annual Meeting  

High Plains Journal

Producing high-quality rice is a team effort and the annual Rice Processing Program Industry Alliance meeting is where industry leaders compare notes, research and resources. Hosted by the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture in the nation's No. 1 rice producing state, more than 100 industry representatives, rice growers, equipment suppliers and consultants attended this year's meeting, May 20 and 21.

Sun Shines Briefly on Delta Council Day: Photo Gallery Delta Farm Press

Sen. Roger Wicker, a native of Tupelo in northeast Mississippi, traveled to the Delta from Washington and talked about a new sense of bipartisanship in the U.S. Senate and the impact that is having on education, defense, foreign policy and infrastructure.

Widely Anticipated Surveys Coming in June USDA Blog

Because of the prominent influence and impact these surveys have in the agricultural industry and on government programs and policy, its important farmers and ranchers participate.

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