The Rice Stuff

Once again, Michael attended the International Rice Festival (IRF) in Crowley, Louisiana and lived to tell the tale. Lesley & Michael discuss the interviews he brought back with the 86th IRF Rice Queen and her sister, the 84th IRF Rice Queen (the Hardy Girls); the 2023 IRF Rice Farmers of the Year, Julie & Christian Richard; the Junior Farmer of the Year, KynLee Fruge; the Grand Parade Mar...

The 2023 USA Rice Outlook Conference is fast approaching. The team talks about the many changes that have been made to improve the experience of attendees, sponsors, and exhibitors. Education sessions to improve your bottom line, speakers to tackle important issues, awards, and a golf tournament for The Rice Foundation...all against the beautiful backdrop of Indian Wells, California. www.usarice.c...

India continues to unapologetically flaunt WTO obligations, and their On-again/Off-again rice export bans are wreaking havoc on global markets, prices, and with food insecure countries in Asia & Africa. Congress has taken steps to pressure the Biden Administration to force India to shape up. Joining the podcast to talk about it is our own Peter Bachmann, Craig Thorn of DTB AgriTrade, and Senat...

USA Rice is a founding member of the Oldways Whole Grains Council, and in this episode, we check in with Kelly LeBlanc, VP of Nutrition for Oldways who shares results of a recent consumer survey her group conducted that looks into American understanding of nutrition, whole grains like brown rice, and the Whole Grain Stamp as a symbol of healthy eating. We also chat nutrition with Sam Schneider, ri...

U.S. rice got its start more than 300 years ago in the coastal region of the Carolinas and many are once again growing the heirloom varieties that made the region the first rice capital of the U.S. First, Michael & Lesley talk with Craig Sasser, refuge manager at Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge that includes the Hasty Point Plantation and their still operating rice fields. Then it's back to...

Maybe you know wild rice isn't technically rice, but do you know where and how wild rice is grown? Processed? Do you know the top market for wild rice? Or what kind of special nutrition punch wild rice packs? Elise Oliver, Director of Operations and Research for the California Wild Rice Advisory Board joins Lesley and Cameron to answer those and other questions about Oryza sativa's mighty cousin....

Rice is moved by road, rail, & water. Each mode of transport has advantages and drawbacks, but poor service is making rail a costly and frustrating option. Keith Glover, president & CEO of Producers Rice Mill, has been running point for the industry on holding Class 1 railroads accountable. He comes by to offer history and an update. Also, Michael sat down with Robert Primus, a member of t...

Michael is back from the 2023 Fancy Food Show and the Rice Millers' Association Convention where he visited with experts to talk about consumer trends. First, he attended a session with Dwight Richmond, Director of Center Store at Town & Country Markets Inc, to hear his thoughts on how and why he buys for his stores. Then Michael sat down with Emily Moquin, Food & Beverage Analyst for Morn...

Anheuser-Busch is the largest user of U.S.-grown rice and they have a special relationship with farmers – especially in Arkansas. Lesley got out of the Texas heat to go up to Jonesboro and the 2nd Annual Discovery Farm Showcase where she met and interviewed rice farmer Eric Vaught, U of AR researcher Trent Roberts, a Budweiser Clydesdale, and A-B's Bill Jones. The event highlighted regenerative ag...

We're talking organic rice again. This time, Lesley shares interviews she conducted at a Texas rice event a few months ago. Bob Whitney with the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and Dr. Alvaro Durand-Murat at the University of Arkansas shared their thoughts and new exciting research they are undertaking in organic rice production. Then Michael and Lesley are joined by Dr. Steve Linscombe f...

Rice is the most manipulated commodity in the world and U.S. rice exporters and farmers are at the mercy of governments that make no secret of their WTO violations. The industry would like the U.S. government to take a case against India to the WTO – but our two recent victories against China have had little impact – so is it worth it? Craig Thorn of DTB AgriTrade and USA Rice's Peter Bachmann joi...

All U.S. rice is GMO free. However the use of non-GMO DNA marker technologies has greatly improved the rice breeding process in recent years. Are these scientific breakthroughs making things easier for researchers? Are we on the path to The. Perfect. Variety? Leaders in the field from RiceTec and LSU join the podcast to talk about the technology and how they utilize it to look for specific traits...

Congress is deep into hearings for the 2023 Farm Bill and USA Rice has been providing witnesses to both the House and the Senate. Our own Jamison Cruce, who helps our witnesses prepare, stops by to talk about two recent hearings - one of conservation and one on the commodity title - and explain what the rice industry is hoping to achieve in the new Farm Bill. With special guest: Jamison Cruce, Sen...

The Rice Leadership Development Program is extremely exclusive, and each year 5 farmers and 2 rice industry reps start their 2-year journey. Neither Michael nor Lesley would come close to qualifying – but Lesley was able to play the "media card" and join the new class on the first leg of their trip through Texas. She reports on the experience, including media training, a visit to a high-tech breed...

School nutrition has come a long way in recent decades and U.S.-grown rice plays an important part because it's affordable, nutritious, and widely accepted. Two members of USA Rice's K-12 Chef Advisory Board, Chef Jason Hull and RDN Bettina Applewhite, join the podcast to talk about feeding kids and instilling positive dietary habits with rice. Michael and Lesley reminisce about their school days,...

The CAFTA-DR is the free trade agreement between the United States and Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and the Dominican Republic. As with agreements of this type, tariffs have been heading lower and in 2023 we entered into a period of actual free trade for rice with the countries. USA Rice's Peter Bachmann and Sarah Moran join our newest co-host, Asiha Grigsby, to unpack...

The 2023 Farm Bill is expected to be a $1.7 trillion piece of legislation (that's "trillion" with a T). Less than 20 percent actually finds its way to U.S. farms so making the case why you need attention can be "do-or-die." Fresh off a Farmer Fly-in, USA Rice Senior Director Jamison Cruce joins us to talk about rice's legislative priorities for this massive bill. Also, Michael sat down with Secret...

Celebrity Chef Sara Moulton's path to TV stardom is fascinating. In this wide-ranging conversation she talks with Michael and Lesley about the journey, where home chefs go wrong, her favorite cooking utensils, meal kits, her new book "Sara Moulton's Home Cooking 101," and her current TV show, Sara's Weeknight Meals, that actually brought her to rice country to learn about farming and conservation...

In January, Lesley and Michael attended rice events in Texas and Arkansas where the industry gathered to talk about the year ahead and other important issues. They took the opportunity to visit with meeting attendees about water, the Farm Bill, the crop outlook, and on-farm alternative energy. With special guests: Debbie Hoffpauir, Texas rice farmer; Fitz Elder, U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee;...

Brands and industries around the world spend millions of dollars to understand what makes consumers tick. On this episode, Michael and Lesley talk to USA Rice's Cameron Jacobs about the latest consumer research he has that peels back protective layers to tell us, what consumers who eat rice are thinking about when they do. Plus there's this. With special guests: Cameron Jacobs, Senior Director of...

At the 2022 USA Rice Outlook Conference, Dr. Steve Linscombe moderated a panel on organic rice farming with three experienced growers from different parts of the country. They then sat down and recorded a conversation about the unique challenges organic rice farming presents on an already challenging crop. From soil type to yield, and from varieties to prices, listen in as California's Michael Bos...

The 2022 USA Rice Outlook Conference was held in Austin, Texas from December 6-9. Michael and Lesley took their field recorders along and caught up with presenters, award winners, and others to talk about the exciting event. Be sure to check out the USA Rice YouTube page to see Cole's video and all the winning entries. With special guests: Milo Hamilton, Firstgrain, John Anderson, Castor River Far...

Our Climate Change series continues with a look at where consumers fit in to the discussion. Michael and Lesley are joined by Jordan Marlatt from intelligence decision company Morning Consult and scientist and writer Steve Savage. Marlatt discusses his company's recently released Sustainability Survey and how the food and beverage sector scored with consumers. While Savage, who writes for Forbes a...

Each October, tens of thousands of people descend on Crowley, Louisiana to celebrate rice. There's music, a carnival, a cooking contest, multiple parades, rice threshing demonstrations, and of course, the competition for the title of International Rice Festival Queen. Michael was at the festival again and comes back with this report. With special guests: Letha Vincent, International Rice Festival,...

About 50 percent of rice grown in the U.S. is exported to 120 countries around the globe. The vast majority goes to consumers in the western hemisphere, so very appropriate that Asiha Grigsby, who oversees rice promotions in the region joined us to talk about her recent trip to Peru and the delegation of Central Americans she hosted in the mid-South. And newly back from U.S. rice day in the UK, Pe...