ARLINGTON, VA – The in-person 2021 USA Rice Outlook Conference is just over a month away and as always attendees are going to have to prioritize for all the exciting programming being offered.
This year’s keynote speaker is award-winning journalist and bestselling author Dan Gardner whose books explore how we think and how we can make better decisions in the face of uncertainty.
“I’d suggest we’ve all been dealing with lots of uncertainty the last few years – even more so than usual,” said USA Rice President & CEO Betsy Ward. “Dan has a knack for clearly unpacking the psychology of uncertainty and I know we’ll all benefit from his insights.”
Other General Session speakers will cover politics, the global rice market, and the Food & Drug Administration’s Closer to Zero Action Plan for baby foods.
Additional educational programming will focus on infrastructure and transportation issues that continue to stymie just about everyone, rising input costs, aromatic imports, consumer trends, quality issues, and the growing concern around cybersecurity as we see a rise in attacks on the ag industry.
As always, officials from land grant universities will provide their research and outlook reports, with Florida joining the mix for the first time.
“A highlight for me is always the annual Awards Luncheon,” said Ward. “We celebrate excellence in every corner of the industry with the Rice Farming Magazine Farmer of the Year, Industry Award, and the Lifetime Achievement Award. USA Rice hands out several awards as well – conservation, sustainability, the political action award, and the National Rice Month Video Scholarship winner. It’s a wonderful collection of the best our industry has.”
In addition, the new class for the highly competitive Rice Leadership Development program is announced.
Early bird registration closes Friday, November 5 and prices climb. Also, the hotel block now closes this Friday as well – so to access special rates, act now. Questions or issues with hotel reservations and/or conference registration should be directed to
Jeanette Davis.
More detailed information can be found on the conference website at
www.usarice.com/outlook.