From left: Hudgens Jeter, Paul Johnson, Nat McKnight, Nicole Creason, Collin Holzhauer, Greg Van Dyke, Dutin Harrell, and Kevin Ripple with John Deere.

MOLINE, ILLINOIS -- The 2015/17 Rice Leadership Development Program class began the week in Chicago at the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT), where the class met with Fred Seamon, Senior Director, Commodity Research & Product Development.  Seamon provided an overview on using the CBOT as a tool to reduce risk.

"CBOT really opened my eyes to what is happening after the rice leaves my farm," said class member Paul Johnson, a rice farmer from Welsh, Louisiana. "Because farmers tend to concentrate on producing a safe and abundant crop while focused on water and environmental stewardship, we forget there are market forces beyond our immediate control that can help a farmer who is paying attention, or hurt a farmer who doesn't know what to consider."

The class also visited the world headquarters here of program sponsor John Deere where they met with company executives and toured the combine factory.

This is the second of four week-long sessions in the two-year leadership program.  It includes personal development workshops on presentation skills, media training and business etiquette. The class will now travel to Arkansas and Mississippi to study those state's rice farming practices and processing industries.

The seven class members are rice producers Johnson; Nicole Creason, Jonesboro, AR; Greg Van Dyke, Pleasant Grove, CA; Nat McKnight, Cleveland, MS; and Hudgens Jeter, Stuttgart, AR; and rice industry representatives Dr. Dustin Harrell, Rayne, LA with LSU AgCenter, and Collin Holzhauer, Harrisburg, AR with Southern Rice & Cotton.

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

Contact:  Chuck Wilson (870) 673-7541

Around the Country

LSU Rice Stations Field Day Set for July 1 Delta Farm Press

Field tours start at 7:15 a.m., and the last tour will leave the rice dryer warehouse no later than 9 a.m. On the field tour, speakers will cover topics that include rice breeding, hybrid development, agronomy, and control of weeds, diseases and insects. A poster session will be held from 7:15 a.m. until 10:30 a.m., followed by the program in the rice dryer building.

South Louisiana Farmers Taking Severe Hit from Heavy Rains Daily Comet

Relentless rain is also threatening to take its toll on rice crops. The wet, warm conditions are favorable for development of leaf blast and other disease.

Urban Water Districts Accuse Delta Farmers of Stealing Water Sacramento Bee

The tension between California farm interests and the state's urban water users ratcheted up Tuesday, as a consortium of mostly urban water districts filed a complaint alleging Delta farmers are stealing water.

Around the World

India: Tackling Pollution by Turning Rice Waste into a Boon Shout Out UK

With several applications, increasing demand and competitive prices, it seems farmers have no dearth of options for managing the agro-waste in a profitable way. However, convincing them of the economic viability of the options could be a challenge. Farmers will give up burning rice straw only if they receive a lucrative incentive.

Tariffs and Trade

Failure of Obama's Trans-Pacific Trade Deal Could Hurt U.S. Influence in Asia  

New York Times

The defeat of a sweeping trade and investment pact being negotiated between the United States and 11 other Pacific Rim nations would weaken Washington's already strained claim to leadership in Asia and undermine a commitment by Mr. Obama to devote more attention and resources to a group of countries contending with the growing power of China.