ARLINGTON, VA -- As you know, the
U.S. Rice Industry Sustainability Report is live and available to the public after two long years of research, collaboration, and boots-on-the-ground work from farmers and millers across the country and USA Rice’s sustainability team. But the effort is far from over, and now it’s time to take the report on the road for its grand tour to get the message out.
During the last several weeks, USA Rice has sat down with leadership at the National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to lay out the many accomplishments delineated in the report, speaking with Undersecretary for Farm Production and Conservation Bill Northey, NRCS Chief Matthew Lohr, and Kevin Norton, NRCS acting associate chief for conservation who was instrumental in bringing the report to fruition.
The game plan is to talk about the report as often as possible, in as many places as possible. More meetings are planned for the Washington, DC, area with leadership of organizations allied to the rice industry, and plans are in motion to speak with end users and stakeholders across the country.
In addition, the USA Rice sustainability team is putting together a webinar on the report so that anyone, whether it be retailers or policymakers, can learn what the report has to offer and how the rice industry is leading the way on sustainability and agriculture.
“These in-person meetings and the webinar are the next crucial step in our long-term sustainability strategy,” said USA Rice CEO Betsy Ward. “Progress depends on education and knowing what options are out there, and the more aware everyone in the industry—or adjacent to the industry—is about the report, the more positive advancements we’re going to see. We’re getting out there to tell rice’s sustainability story, and the report is now the foundation of that conversation.”
The webinar will be available on the USA Rice website in the near future, and if your organization or business is interested in a one-on-one meeting to discuss rice sustainability, please contact
Lydia Holmes. Our team is ready to spread the good news.