Packed in
Nov 13, 2015
PORTAGEVILLE, MO – Yesterday morning, more than 50 rice farmers and conservation professionals gathered at the Delta Fisher Research Center in Portageville, Missouri, for the first ever Southeast Missouri Rice Conservation Field Day.
The Field Day was organized by USA Rice and Ducks Unlimited to provide outreach to rice farmers in the Missouri Bootheel for their National Rice Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) project, Sustaining the Future of Rice. The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Missouri in conjunction with the University of Missouri’s Fisher Delta Research Center handled most of the local outreach and planning for the event.
Participants had an opportunity to hear presentations on behalf of the Missouri NRCS State Conservationist’s office, NRCS headquarters in Washington, Ducks Unlimited, and a legislative update from USA Rice Vice President of Government Affairs Ben Mosely.
Mosely told the crowd, “It is great to get so many people together with positive common goals and share our respective visions for the RCPP and the USA Rice-Ducks Unlimited Stewardship Partnership. USA Rice looks forward to continuing to build relationships in the Bootheel and deliver additional funding to the Missouri rice industry.”
Blake Gerard, Missouri rice farmer and chairman of the USA Rice Farmers also attended the event, and said, “I was thrilled to see how receptive my friends and neighbors were towards this Field Day, and it was imperative that conservation staff were in the room and able to answer specific, technical questions for folks.”
Gerard concluded, “Our region needs to be implementing as many conservation practices as possible as preventative measures in today’s environmentally sensitive society. This project is bringing the incentive right to our front door to make sure we continue to responsibly care for our land.”
Applications for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program portion of the National Rice RCPP project are due to Missouri and Louisiana NRCS offices by November 20.