WILLIAMS & YUBA CITY, CA — On Wednesday, the California Rice Commission (CRC) held its annual grower meetings to share industry updates with its membership.
Presentations were given by Kahn, Soares & Conway, California state lobbyists; The Russell Group; Northern California Water Association; CRC Chair Rick Rhody; CRC President Tim Johnson; and USA Rice. Attendees were most anxious to hear thoughts on the agriculture and trade policy impacts of state and federal elections scheduled for later this year.
In his Washington update, USA Rice President & CEO Peter Bachmann focused on the range of domestic and international promotional support provided by USA Rice, and the trade and farm policy advocacy efforts underway around the 2024 Farm Bill and other legislative and regulatory issues.
“U.S. medium grain is competitive globally and we are seeing a return to stronger market shares in traditional markets in Asia and the Middle East, with market growth opportunities in other historical and new markets like Turkey and Northern Africa,” said Bachmann.
Rhody, who is also president & CEO of the Farmers’ Rice Cooperative, indicated that the industry is optimistic about the year ahead and that the CRC is focused on development of the
Rice Footprint Initiative that will help determine what the minimum rice acreage should be to protect the critical ecosystem rice fields support.
“With the outlook of sufficient water for the 2024 crop year in California, priorities are shifting and our growers are more focused on profitability and long-term viability,” Rhody concluded.