USA Rice Daily
Up-to-the-Minute News on Issues and Activities
Friday, August 21, 2015
USA Rice Attends 2015 Arkansas RiceTec Field Day & Ag Council of Arkansas           
USA Rice's Ben Mosely at the mic 
JONESBORO & MARIANNA, AR -- USA Rice staff traveled to Arkansas this week to participate in rice industry meetings in eastern Arkansas.  USA Rice Government Affairs Vice President Ben Mosely attended both meetings and gave updates on USA Rice's work on key industry issues, including the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), market access to China, Waters of the United States (WOTUS), and recent tenders in Iraq.  Mosely also talked about USA Rice efforts to educate newly elected members of Congress about issues important to the U.S. rice industry.
 
More than 200 growers and industry representatives attended RiceTec's annual Field Day Tuesday outside of Jonesboro.  Participants had the opportunity to go on field tours, meet with vendors, and hear RiceTec representatives talk about current varieties as well as new varieties on the horizon.  Congressman Rick Crawford (R-AR), representing Arkansas' first district, took the stage in Jonesboro to tell attendees about several regulatory issues currently facing the U.S. rice industry, and applaud USA Rice for doing a great job keeping legislators up-to-date on industry's behalf.
 
On Thursday, Mosely addressed members of the Agricultural Council of Arkansas gathered at the University of Arkansas Cotton Research Station in Mariana.  Senator John Boozman (R-AR) was on-hand to discuss the fall agenda for the Senate, and Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge spoke about her involvement in lawsuits challenging the Environmental Protection Agency's controversial WOTUS regulations. 
 
Conservation and sustainability were an important topic of discussion all week.  Mosely reminded farmers in Arkansas to submit Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) applications as part of the National Rice RCPP project.  EQIP applications are due to local Natural Resources Conservation Service offices by October 16.  
 
Contact:  Chuck Wilson (870) 673-7541
2015 Horizon Ag Field Day Emphasizes Quality         
 
In the field with Horizon Ag


JONESBORO, AR -- Over 100 people attended the 2015 Horizon Ag Field Day yesterday at Mark Wimpy Farms.  The event included a look at current and new Clearfield varieties as well as an update on the harvest in Louisiana.
 
"Today was an opportunity to show the focus Horizon Ag has on providing valuable agronomic information to help rice farmers maximize production and profits, and to show we have heard the message loud and clear for the need to improve quality," said Tim Walker, general manager at Horizon Ag.
 
"Not only are we committed to improving production on U.S. rice farms, we are also focused on improving the overall quality of U.S.-grown rice to meet the needs of our export partners," Walker said.  "Our industry was once the unmatched leader in producing high-quality rice grain, but today, there is more competition for that title.  We can separate ourselves again by focusing breeding and development on varieties that bring value at the buyer level and improved production at the farm level."
 
Contact:  Chuck Wilson (870) 673-7541
National Rice Month Promotional Item of the Week            
 
Grab a cold one! 
 
Order these and other promotional items at the USA Rice Online Store or print and mail the item order form.
 
Contact: Colleen Klemczewski (703) 236-1446
CME Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures   
CME Group (Prelim):  Closing Rough Rice Futures for August 21

Month
Price
Net Change
September 2015$11.650
+ $0.015
November 2015
$11.925
+ $0.010
January 2016
$12.215
+ $0.010
March 2016$12.455
+ $0.010
May 2016$12.705
+ $0.015
July 2016$12.730
+ $0.030
September 2016
$11.740
+ $0.030
In the News 
Around the Country
The agricultural equipment manufacturer has been facing a downturn in equipment sales as weak commodity prices hold back farmers from buying new equipment.
 
The foundational study is the first step needed to set priorities for environmental exposure experiments and the potential for adverse impacts to terrestrial and aquatic organisms. Scientists and others have raised concerns about potential harmful effects of neonicotinoids on non-target insects, especially pollinating honey bees and native bees.
 
Data showed about 90,000 acres of agricultural land had been affected, including roughly 38,000 acres of cropland and more than 52,000 acres of pasture and hay land. About 18,000 of soybeans and 7,000 acres of both corn and cotton were damaged. Rice and grain sorghum were also reported to have been affected.
 
According to the survey, 70 percent of U.S. producers report having access to the Internet, a 3 percent jump from 2013, the previous edition of the biennial survey. Some 73 percent of farms reported having access to a computer, up from the 71 percent figure in 2013.
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USA Rice is the global advocate for all segments of the U.S. rice industry with a mission to promote and protect the interests of producers, millers, merchants and allied businesses.
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Editor:  Michael Klein
(703) 236-1458
mklein@usarice.com

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This report is time-sensitive, based on information available at press time. Content is derived from facts and sources believed to be reliable. Reprinting and/or distribution may be done with permission of USA Rice.

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