USA Rice's Ben Mosely at the mic
Aug 21, 2015
JONESBORO & MARIANNA, AR -- USA Rice staff traveled to Arkansas this week to participate in rice industry meetings in eastern Arkansas. USA Rice Government Affairs Vice President Ben Mosely attended both meetings and gave updates on USA Rice’s work on key industry issues, including the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), market access to China, Waters of the United States (WOTUS), and recent tenders in Iraq. Mosely also talked about USA Rice efforts to educate newly elected members of Congress about issues important to the U.S. rice industry.
More than 200 growers and industry representatives attended RiceTec’s annual Field Day Tuesday outside of Jonesboro. Participants had the opportunity to go on field tours, meet with vendors, and hear RiceTec representatives talk about current varieties as well as new varieties on the horizon. Congressman Rick Crawford (R-AR), representing Arkansas’ first district, took the stage in Jonesboro to tell attendees about several regulatory issues currently facing the U.S. rice industry, and applaud USA Rice for doing a great job on industry’s behalf keeping legislators up-to-date.
On Thursday, Mosely addressed members of the Agricultural Council of Arkansas who gathered at the University of Arkansas Cotton Research Station in Mariana. Senator John Boozman (R-AR) was on-hand to discuss the fall agenda for the Senate, and Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge spoke about her involvement in lawsuits challenging the Environmental Protection Agency’s controversial WOTUS regulations.
Conservation and sustainability were an important topic of discussion all week. Mosely reminded farmers in Arkansas to submit Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) applications as part of the National Rice RCPP project. EQIP applications are due to local Natural Resource Conservation Service offices by October 16.