| The US Rice Producers Association joined together this week with the American Sugar Alliance, Ducks Unlimited, National Cotton Council, Farm Credit Council, and Purina ahead of the Congressional Baseball Game to celebrate the strength and resilience of the winning team of farm families who help feed our nation. Founded in 1909, the Congressional Baseball Game brings together members of Congress and fans for a bipartisan game that raises money for local charities. More than 700 congressional staff, Members of Congress, and farmer representatives assembled across the street from Washington Nationals Park for an agriculture-wide event to talk farm policy and baseball over a wide selection of refreshments, including “Rice, Rice Baby Lemon Crush” and “Rice is Nice Sangria”.Vernie Hubert, Maggie Linden, and Fred Clark were there to help host the event on behalf of the US Rice Producers Association, where they engaged in conversation with Members of Congress and their staff about Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson’s Farm Bill approved by the House Agriculture Committee in May and Senator John Boozman’s Farm Bill Framework released earlier this week. For those keeping score, the Republicans defeated the Democrats in the 2024 Congressional Baseball Game by a score of 31-11. Across the street, rice producers and all of the agriculture were winners. |
 Vernie Hubert talking baseball and rice policy with Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-CA). |  Key policy staff for Senate Agriculture Ranking Member John Boozman talking farm policy with USRPA Washington representatives. |
 Vernie Hubert talking baseball and rice policy with Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-CA). |  The crowd spilled out of the event venue and overflowed into the street. |
Senator Boozman Releases Farm Bill Framework
On Tuesday, Senate Agriculture Committee Ranking Member John Boozman (R-AR) released a framework of his vision for the next farm bill. In an accompanying statement, he emphasized the need “to put more farm in the farm bill.” His framework includes an average increase of 15% in reference prices across all commodities as well as a doubling of the funding for agricultural trade promotion programs. More information on the proposal can be found here. A statement of support from USRPA’s chairman Neal Stoesser can be found here.
House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee Marks up Funding Bill
On Tuesday, the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee marked up the fiscal year 2025 funding bill for the Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration. The markup was completed in under a half hour, with Subcommittee Ranking Member Sanford Bishop (D-GA) and Committee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) notably raising concerns about how the bill would impact nutrition programs. The subcommittee approved the bill on a party-line vote. It now moves to the full Appropriations Committee, where it is tentatively scheduled to be marked up on July 10. Ahead of the markup, Subcommittee Chairman Andy Harris (R-MD) released the text for the bill; text for the bill can be found here. A recording of the markup can be found here.
| Rice farmers, millers, exporters, importers, traders, government officials, and various allied industries from different parts of the Western Hemisphere and other regions worldwide convened in Cancun, Mexico for the annual Rice Market & Technology Convention hosted by the US Rice Producers Association. With a gathering of over 180 companies, this year's event sparked numerous discussions. Market factors such as Brazil's unprecedented flooding affecting supply and demand, the expected rise in long grain cultivation in the United States, and the uncertainty surrounding India's rumored export restrictions were key topics. Attendees described the current market conditions as "the new normal." Participants at the Dreams Natura Resort & Spa event were very positive, expressing remarks such as "I will return next year," "this conference stands out," "the event's atmosphere was fantastic," "a wonderful conference for networking with suppliers," and "the event's quality was impressive." Major exporters/importers and rice brand companies were among the attendees who shared their feedback. Allied industries presented new technology on several fronts, gaining the attention of processors. "This year's RMTC has surpassed all expectations, and we are thrilled with the overwhelmingly positive feedback and eagerly anticipating the 2025 RMTC event scheduled for May 28-30, 2025 in Miami, Florida," stated Marcela Garcia, President & CEO of US Rice Producers Association. In the upcoming weeks, we plan to share additional photos from this remarkable event. |
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| "Everything in the rice mill is controllable under Anysort Cloud Control, Rice Analyzer, and Intelligent Sortex machine. We are committed to helping rice producers create more economic value, providing more stable product quality, and saving more labor costs." About the Speaker: David Zhang is the President of Overseas Operations at Anhui Jiexun Optoelectronic Technology Co., Ltd (Anysort). He earned his Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Science and Technology of China. Since 2010, David Zhang has been a part of Anysort, leading the way in providing effective sorting solutions for renowned brands like Wilmar, Starbucks, Nestle, Lipton, and Shoei, among others. |
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