USA Rice Federation Board Elects Montna to Chairmanship

DALLAS, TX, July 12, 2006 — The USA Rice Federation Board of Directors on July 10 elected California rice producer Alfred George Montna to be its next chairman. Montna, whose two-year term begins Aug. 1, follows Texas rice miller Lee Adams in that position.

“I can think of no one better qualified to serve as Federation Chairman,” Adams said. “It is extremely important as we go into a farm-bill year to have a grower serve as chairman. Al Montna is the right man for the right time.”

In September 2000, Montna assisted in the formation of the American Commodity Company (ACC), a business that markets rice domestically and internationally. ACC last year acquired Great Western Growers, a rice milling and storage facility located in Williams and Willows, CA.

Montna served as chairman of Farmers Rice Cooperative in Sacramento, CA, from November 1984 to November 1998.

Montna is president and manager of Garden Highway Mutual Water Company. He is also an alternate on the California Rice Commission (CRC) Board of Directors, where he has served in various capacities since joining in 1991. He chaired the USA Rice Producers’ Group from 1991-1994 and continues to serve as a member.

He remains active in state and national politics. He has chaired or has otherwise been active in California senatorial, congressional, gubernatorial and presidential campaigns including those of Pete Wilson, Dan Lungren, George Bush, Wally Herger, Vic Fazio, Mike Thompson, Doug Ose, Bill Jones, and Bill Simon. Montna continues to serve as State Finance Committee Co-chair in support of Gov. Arnold Schwartzenegger.

Montna was elected in February 1999 to the Board of Directors of Feather River State Bank, which had $300 million in assets and was based in Yuba City, CA. He was Chairman of the Feather River State Bank Board of Directors from 2002 until the bank’s merger with Humboldt Bank. He served on Humboldt’s Board of Directors until Humboldt merged with Umpqua Bank in 2004.

Montna is the recipient of numerous awards, including:

· 1992 —Rice Meritorious Service Grower Achievement Award, a national recognition of his exemplary service for the economic progress of the rice industry

· 1996 — “Honored Alumnus of the Year for the College of Agriculture” from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

· In 2004 — “California Agriculturist of the Year,” an award presented annually to a person who has contributed extensively to the agricultural industry

Montna was a founding director of Northern California Water Association. He served as a member of the Governor’s Flood Emergency Action Team and assisted locally during and following the 1997 flood. He was also a member of the Ag Task Force for Resource Conservation and Economic Development and the Ag Network, and he is past chairman of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo’s College of Agriculture Advisory Council.

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A caption and high-resolution photo is available at the USA Rice image libary

USA Rice Federation is the national advocate for all segments of the rice industry, conducting activities to influence government programs, developing and initiating programs to increase worldwide demand for U.S. rice, and providing other services to increase profitability for all industry segments.