STUTTGART, AR -- Last Friday, Congressman Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson, chair of the House Agriculture Committee, was here in the Rice and Ducks Capital of the World visiting with USA Rice members.
At Producers Rice Mill, Inc., Chairman Thompson toured the co-op’s operation, including the mill, parboil facility, packaging, and other parts of the business. He met with leadership and staff from the mill, including Producers Rice Mill’s Board Chair Jay Coker, a rice farmer from Stuttgart, and the co-op’s CEO, Keith Glover, who currently serves as chair USA Rice, about issues impacting the U.S. rice industry.
Top of mind for the group was the much-needed economic assistance for rice farmers in light of negative margins due to high input costs, inflation, and declining rice prices, especially given another extension of the 2018 Farm Bill without improvements to the Price Loss Coverage (PLC) program is expected before the end of the year.
“It was an honor to have Chairman Thompson in Stuttgart and visiting Producers,” said Coker. “While the Chairman hails from Pennsylvania, he has been a tremendous supporter of the U.S. rice industry and a key champion on Capitol Hill for us. We were proud to thank him for his work on the Farm Bill and farmer economic aid. We welcome him back any time he’s in the area.”
Thompson represents Pennsylvania’s 15th Congressional District, which includes the western and central portions of the Keystone State.