ARLINGTON, VA – Following months of analysis, USA Rice has rolled out a new member category, the Enterprise Partner, designed to widen the base of an already vertically-integrated trade association.
“As an organization, USA Rice has always been about representing the entire industry, up and down the supply chain from the farm to the end use, but we realized we were leaving out quite a few interested parties, so we created the Enterprise Partner group,” explained California rice farmer and chair of USA Rice Charley Mathews, Jr. “There are individuals and businesses who both support our industry, but also depend on a healthy U.S. rice industry for much of their business, too. Those are our Enterprise Partners.”
Entities involved in banking and insurance; farm inputs, equipment, and technology; crop consultant work; research institutions and other non-profits are all eligible for membership. As are allied businesses that want to see a vibrant U.S. rice industry but don’t fit into another membership category.
“Of course as with most member organizations, members get access to proprietary resources and discounts on event registration and exhibiting, but we also are offering a seat at the policy table at USA Rice,” Mathews said. “Members also have the opportunity to participate in the vast array of trade missions and consumer campaigns the organization conducts each year which pay immediate dividends to the participants.”
However, it is affiliation with the U.S. rice industry’s sector-leading sustainability and conservation programs and initiatives that will likely encourage many to join.
“Sustainability is important to us and our customers, so to be able to demonstrate that we are working side-by-side with some of the most responsible producers on the planet makes a huge impact,” said Matt Lindsey, director of irrigation resources at Delta Plastics. “We support the great work USA Rice and its members are doing and Delta Plastics looks forward to strengthening our relationship through this new opportunity.”
For more information on applying to join USA Rice as an Enterprise Partner, or through one of the other membership organizations, visit
www.usarice.com/join.