Riceland Foods is headquartered in Stuttgart, Arkansas
Jul 29, 2022
Excerpt from a Riceland Foods Press Release
STUTTGART, AR – Riceland Foods farmer members and team members traveled to Washington, DC, this week as part of the company’s In-Depth Leadership Class curriculum, meeting with various government agencies, agriculture industry leaders, and policy makers over the two-day trip.
Riceland Foods is a farmer-led cooperative and the world's largest miller and marketer of rice, serving 5,500 farmer members in Arkansas and Missouri.
Every other year, a mixed group of farmer members and Riceland team members is selected to participate in the leadership class. The program has four sessions geared towards different attributes of the cooperative – the Riceland organization and business structure, rice milling, ag policy, and national issues.
This year’s farmer members are Bo Mason of Brinkley, AR; Charles Churchwell of Des Arc, AR; and Zane Clark of Broseley, MO. Riceland team members are Jack Morris, district manager for Corning, Dudley, Madrid, and Poplar Bluff; Austin Brown, sustainability manager; Adam Shea, director of sustainability; Bill Free, director of member relations; and Kevin McGilton, vice president of government affairs.
On Monday morning, the group convened at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and heard agency briefings from the National Ag Statistics Service (NASS), the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), the Farm Service Agency (FAS), and the Economic Research Service (ERS). The class also received a briefing on the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC), and discussed rice industry-related topics, such as the devastating impact of India’s trade distorting practices on U.S. rice in both the domestic and international markets.
That afternoon, the class traveled to USA Rice headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, and met with staff there who gave a comprehensive overview on the organization’s structure and work they do on behalf of the industry. Sarah Moran, USA Rice vice president of international promotion, gave a presentation on international promotion activities; Peter Bachmann, USA Rice vice president of policy and government affairs and Jamison Cruce, senior director of government affairs, discussed trade policy and potential new farm bill policy; and Michael Klein, USA Rice vice president of communications and domestic promotion, talked about current domestic promotion initiatives and marketing efforts to increase awareness of U.S. rice.
Day Two of the DC session kicked off with a discussion led by Chuck Conner, the CEO of the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives, on the impact of 199A tax reform and the H2A program on cooperatives and farm families. Duck Unlimited’s Director of Public Policy Kellis Moss was on-hand to provide an update on rice industry conservation efforts.
On Capitol Hill, the class met with home-state legislators and their staffs from both the House and Senate to talk about the current state of the rice industry, how sky-high input costs are affecting farmers, and the need for ad hoc assistance. They also met with staff from the House Agriculture Committee to discuss farm bill policy and transportation concerns, specifically issues with shipping via rail.
"Cultivating the next generation of leaders is critical for ensuring future success, especially for the U.S. rice industry,” said Riceland’s Adam Shea. “The Riceland In-Depth Leadership Program gives our farmer members and team members a deeper understanding of the work our cooperative does, and it allows us to build up the next generation of leaders so we can continue to grow and produce sustainable, nutritious rice that feeds the world."