USA Rice Daily Up-to-the-Minute News on Issues and Activities Wednesday, October 7, 2015 New Cuba Ag Exports Act Will Benefit U.S. Rice Farmers  Rep. Rick Crawford (R-AR)  WASHINGTON, DC -- Yesterday, House Agriculture Committee Chairman, Mike Conaway, along with Representatives Rick Crawford (R-AR) and Ted Poe (R-TX)  introduced legislation that would open agricultural trade and financing between the United States and Cuba.   The bill, H.R. 3687, or the Cuba Agricultural Exports Act, repeals financing restrictions, allowing U.S. banks to offer credit in Cuba in connection with exports of U.S. agricultural goods; eliminates restrictions on key federal funding used in agricultural export promotions (i.e., MAP, FMD, GSM-102, and Federal Checkoff funds) for Cuba; and enables investment in Cuban agribusinesses not affiliated with the Cuban government (i.e., Alimport).   This action follows closely on the heels of a trip to Cuba by Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson and a group of nearly 40 Arkansans including representatives of Riceland Foods.  Governor Hutchinson returned to Arkansas motivated to ask for changes, saying, "Congress needs to equalize the field of operations for our businesses by allowing them to negotiate cash, credit, whatever they feel comfortable with and the level of risk they wish to take.  Right now, we can't even negotiate a credit sale, and that's not customary in the market."   "I'm excited to see my Congressman [Representative Crawford] introduce a bill that would positively affect so many parts of the U.S. rice industry," said Arkansas rice farmer and USA Rice Chairman Dow Brantley.  "Our Congressional District alone grows nearly half of the U.S.'s rice - so we would certainly stand to benefit from open trade with the Cubans - as would rice producers throughout the mid-South."   Brantley continued, "USA Rice has been working to remove the trade barriers for a long time, and after 55 years that the trade embargo has been in place, it's time for things to change.  It's my hope that the rest of Congress will join the sponsors in supporting this legislation, which has the potential to seriously strengthen the agricultural economy."   Keith Gray, a Texas-based rice miller with Riviana Foods, said, "We have been looking for opportunities to sell rice to Cuba for some time and it's always been held up because of the financing issue.  This bill would be a game-changer and I think it's the best option put forward so far to open up the Cuban market for our rice."   "As a long grain rice grower I have a limited market for my rice to be shipped," said Texas rice farmer and USA Rice Farmers Board Member Daniel Berglund.  "Opening up an essentially new market this close to home would be a huge help with moving our production.  Reducing our shipping miles allows Texas and all U.S.-grown rice for that matter to remain extremely competitive price-wise."   USA Rice endorses this legislation and continues to seek congressional support for all legislation that works towards normalized trade relations with Cuba.   Contact:  Kristen Dayton (703) 236-1464 USDA Posts TPP Information      Click graphic to enlarge and download    WASHINGTON, DC -- Commodity Fact Sheets showing the market access impact of the Trans Pacific Partnership agreement are now available on the U.S. Department of Agriculture's website (www.fas.usda.gov/tpp).  The Fact Sheets are infographics and the rice graphic is printed with this article.  There is additional information on TPP at the website, and readers are urged to consult the site regularly.  USA Rice will alert readers of the Daily when new rice-specific information is available, particularly as regards the outcome of Mexico's negotiations with Vietnam.   Contact:  Bob Cummings (703) 236-1473 Use #USARiceOutlook to Win Free Outlook Registration  ARLINGTON, VA -- Today, USA Rice launched a month-long social media contest calling for participants to utilize the official conference hashtag #USARiceOutlook to promote the 2015 USA Rice Outlook Conference.  Each Wednesday a winner for the week will be announced until the contest ends on November 4.  Three winners will receive a rice "swag" bag filled with exclusive Think Rice gear.  The grand prize winner will be awarded free registration to the USA Rice Outlook Conference taking place December 9-11in New Orleans.    USA Rice will be sharing content about the conference on social media throughout the duration of the contest that participants can use for their own posts.   Suggested topics include:  a favorite Outlook memory, speakers that will be featured this year, or pictures from previous Outlook conferences.   Members are encouraged to get as creative as possible with their posts!   Participants can use Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook to share their posts, however, all posts must contain the hashtag to be considered for prizes.  Look for posts from USA Rice's Twitter account, @usaricenews, for more updates about the #USARiceOutlook social media contest.   Contact:  Colleen Klemczewski (703) 236-1446 CCC Announces Prevailing World Market Prices  WASHINGTON, DC -- The Department of Agriculture's Commodity Credit Corporation today announced the following prevailing world market prices of milled and rough rice, adjusted for U.S. milling yields and location, and the resulting marketing loan gain (MLG) and loan deficiency payment (LDP) rates applicable to the 2015 crop, which will become effective today at 7:00 a.m., Eastern Time (ET).  Rough rice prices increased $0.25 per cwt for long grain and $0.26 per cwt for medium/short grain.   World Price MLG/LDP Rate   Milled Value ($/cwt) Rough ($/cwt) Rough ($/cwt) Long Grain 14.92 9.42 0.00 Medium/Short Grain 14.43 9.68 0.00 Brokens   9.00  ---- ---- This week's prevailing world market prices and MLG/LDP rates are based on the following U.S. milling yields and the corresponding loan rates:   U.S. Milling Yields Whole/Broken (lbs/cwt) Loan Rate ($/cwt) Long Grain 55.01/13.46 6.50 Medium/Short Grain 61.81/8.43 6.50   The next program announcement is scheduled for October 14, 2015.     CME Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures    CME Group (Prelim):  Closing Rough Rice Futures for October 7  Month Price Net Change November 2015 $13.325  - $0.040 January 2016 $13.615 - $0.035 March 2016 $13.885 - $0.035 May 2016 $14.020 - $0.035 July 2016 $14.160 + $0.055 September 2016 $13.285 + $0.090 November 2016 $13.285 + $0.090 In the News Around Washington USDA: We Will Not Steer People Away from Meat to Protect the Environment Washington Post On Tuesday, in an item posted on the USDA blog, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Secretary of Health and Human Services Sylvia Burwell rejected the proposal that people ought to eat less meat in order to protect the environment, indicating that the forthcoming Dietary Guidelines will focus on the immediate health aspects of food, rather than how food choices impact the environment.     Around the Country New Zone Map Boundaries Could Mean Big Changes for Louisiana Duck Hunters Louisiana Sportsman Larry Reynolds, the waterfowl study leader for the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, urged hunters to call him at his office at 225-765-0456 or to contact him via email to give him feedback on the proposed map. The deadline to comment by phone or email is Oct. 30, but the public is also invited to attend the Commission meeting on Thursday, Nov. 5 in Baton Rouge.      Tariffs and Trade Ag Gets Top Billing as Obama Launches Push for Trade Deal Agri-Pulse President Obama launched his push for approval of the Trans-Pacific Partnership yesterday with a one-hour, closed-door meeting with leaders of agriculture and other business sectors that will be critical to the coming congressional debate. Agriculture's importance to the White House strategy was immediately clear. The meeting was held at the Agriculture Department, and three of the 18 business leaders represented agriculture.   New USDA Fact Sheets Illustrate State-by-State Benefits of Trans-Pacific Partnership USDA The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today released a series of fact sheets illustrating how the newly reached Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement can boost the U.S. agriculture industry, supporting more American jobs and driving the nation's rural economy. Created by the USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), the fact sheets graphically depict how each state and individual commodities stand to benefit from increased agricultural trade with the 11 other TPP countries. T-TIP Talks Scheduled to Resume in Miami Oct 19 Agri-Pulse The 11th round of negotiations on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (T-TIP) will take place Oct. 19-23 in Miami. The talks will involve negotiators from the U.S. and the European Union as the two sides work to complete a deal.     Science and Technology Healthy Soil vs. Drought USDA YouTube USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service video featuring California rice farmer Fritz Durst. Upcoming Events  Events Calendar   Recent Issues October 6 October 5 October 2 October 1 September 30 Mission Statement 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. About Us Editor:  Michael Klein (703) 236-1458 [email protected] Fax (703) 236-2301 2101 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 610 Arlington, VA 22201 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. Copyright � 2015. 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