Rice farmer Ray Stoesser (l) in talks with USA Rice's Ben Mosely

EAGLE LAKE, TX -- USA Rice staff Betsy Ward and Ben Mosely addressed Texas farmers at the dinner and program following the Eagle Lake Rice Field Day this week.

Ward gave an overview of USA Rice work on behalf of rice farmers and specifically addressed trade issues critical to the rice industry like the TPP negotiations, Iraq, China, and domestic and international promotion initiatives.

Mosely outlined USA Rice's work with Congress and the U.S. Department of Agriculture on implementation of the farm bill, and plans to submit a pre-proposal next week for a small reservoir here as part of the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP).  The project will be executed in cooperation with Ducks Unlimited and the Lower Colorado River Authority, among several other partners, as a way to reduce groundwater usage on rice fields and in managed waterfowl habitat.

"Visiting farmers helps us develop our message to Congress and federal agencies," said Ward.  "Rice is a small commodity and our goal is to speak to policymakers and influencers with one voice so that the industry delivers a strong, clear message.  We want to keep fighting above our weight class for farmers in Texas and across the rice states."

Ward and Mosely also answered questions on recent changes to farm policy and trade from members of the Texas Rice Producers' Legislative Group and the Texas Rice Producers' Board and heard from both groups about the important issues on the ground.

Contact:  Amy Doane (703) 236-1454

Dick Ottis, Chairman of USA Rice Merchants' Association (second from right) and Betsy Ward meet with local farmers in Eagle Lake

We're serious

WASHINGTON, DC -- On Monday the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) and Army Corp of Engineer's Clean Water Rule:  Definition of "Waters of the United States," commonly called Waters of the U.S. or WOTUS, was published in the Federal Register along with thousands of pages of supporting documentation showing the agencies' intent.  The rule is effective on August 28, 2015. 

Lawsuits began to be filed as soon as the document was published with four suits filed by 27 states and one lawsuit filed by a private energy company; one more state-initiated lawsuit is expected.  The primary tenets of the lawsuits are: the rule was finalized while a major structural document, The Connectivity Report, was incomplete; there were procedural violations such as a failure to respond to comments; and, the rule violated the Administrative Procedures Act, the Clean Water Act, and the National Environmental Policy Act.   

Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi filed a joint lawsuit asserting that the EPA's final rule is "an unconstitutional and impermissible expansion of federal power over the states and their citizens and property owners."  There appears to be overlap in the lawsuits which may lead to consolidation in some cases.

The rule states that rice fields are excluded from jurisdiction.  A review of the Response to Comments suggests that EPA's intent was more nuanced.  Rice fields that would revert to uplands if no longer farmed are excluded as are rice fields that are prior converted wetlands. However, rice fields that were created in wetlands and retain wetland characteristics could be jurisdictional but normal farming exemptions would still apply.  Rice fields are allowed other uses including crop/crawfish rotation, fallowing, and hunting without becoming jurisdictional waters.

Rice irrigation water drainage conveyances are open to interpretation.  Conveyances bringing water into rice fields are likely excluded from jurisdiction while drainage ditches that empty into waters of the U.S. are likely within jurisdiction of the rule.

USA Rice will continue to review the supporting documentation, including the Response to Comments, to fully understand the rule's ramifications for farmers.

Contact:  Steve Hensley (703) 236-1445

Choose the shortest rice route

WASHINGTON, DC -- The U.S. State Department and the Cuban government recently announced they will re-open embassies in Washington and Havana.  President Barack Obama said that Secretary of State John Kerry would travel to Cuba later this summer to formally open the embassy, following the official re-establishment of diplomatic relations on July 20, and he called on Congress to fully lift the embargo, which has been in place since 1961.  

Prior to the President's announcement, a resolution came out of the Louisiana State Senate, authored by Senator Dan Morrish, from Jefferson Davis Parish, urging the U.S. Congress to "restore trade relations between the United States and Cuba in order to open the market to Louisiana rice."

Louisiana's rice industry has the potential to benefit greatly from normalizing trade relations with Cuba, and the resolution sent to Congress makes the parameters of that potential clear. USA Rice's involvement with the U.S. Agriculture for Cuba (USACC), and support for normalizing trade relations with the country, were also mentioned in the Louisiana resolution.

"USA Rice has been advocating for the end of the embargo," said USA Rice President & CEO Betsy Ward.  "Along with loosened travel restrictions and some new economic ties, the restoration of diplomatic relations and reestablishment of embassies would be a huge steps toward this goal."

The United States exported $64 million worth of rice to Cuba as recently as 2004 but the Cubans have not bought any U.S. rice since 2009.

Contact:  Kristen Dayton (703) 236-1464