GOBLER, MO — Last week, USA Rice staff took part in the packed-house Missouri Rice Research and Merchandising Council (Missouri Rice Council) annual meeting held here at the beautiful Elk Chute Lodge.
Following a social hour and dinner, attendees heard updates from the Missouri Rice Council chair and current USA Rice Farmers Vice Chair Rance Daniels and Treasurer Zack Tanner. Presentations were also made by rice agronomists regarding pest pressures and U.S. Rice Producers Association staff. The evening concluded with Missouri Director of Agriculture Chris Chinn’s keynote and the always popular door prize distribution.
“We were really pleased to see this year’s record turnout at the annual meeting since we tried a new location,” said Daniels. “Even though we anticipate a lot of folks to cut back rice acres this year, they seemed eager to hear updates on what’s happening in Washington and what kind of economic assistance may be in the pipeline.”
The following day, USA Rice staff provided an inaugural presentation to the Missouri Rice Council Board of Directors regarding annual policy, domestic/international promotion activities, and advocacy updates on behalf of Missouri and the broader U.S. rice industry.