WASHINGTON, DC – The day after President Trump’s State of the Union address, rice industry advocates took a break from pounding the halls of Congress for a luncheon that celebrates the unique relationship between rice and waterfowl at the annual Ducks Unlimited-USA Rice Congressional Luncheon.
Two hundred USA Rice Government Affairs Conference attendees and Congressional staff and Members gathered to talk rice and politics.
The menu consisted of several U.S.-grown rice and duck dishes including sushi, arancini, and spicy duck and andouille sausage gumbo served over rice.
“We’ve been hustling from meeting to meeting, on the Hill and off the Hill, for a day and a half now. It’s nice to have a slightly more casual setting to visit with, and feed, the hard-working Congressional staff with our sustainably-grown rice. This also provides the opportunity to naturally talk about the great conservation story rice has thanks to the unique relationship between rice and ducks,” explained California rice farmer and Chairman of USA Rice Charley Mathews, Jr.
“We look forward to this event every year so we can showcase our Rice Stewardship Partnership here in Washington,” said Kellis Moss, DU’s director of public policy, who worked closely with USA Rice to coordinate the event. “We know the benefits rice provides for ducks everyday but it’s great to have rice growers in town to help us tell our story to our friends and colleagues in Congress and the Administration who we need as our advocates on policy and legislation.”
The break didn’t last long. Soon after the luncheon, the USA Rice Hill teams were back on schedule with a host of meetings that took them right into the dinner hour.