Congress is deep into hearings for the 2023 Farm Bill and USA Rice has been providing witnesses to both the House and the Senate. Our own Jamison Cruce, who helps our witnesses prepare, stops by to talk about two recent hearings - one of conservation and one on the commodity title - and explain what the rice industry is hoping to achieve in the new Farm Bill.

With special guest:

Jamison Cruce, Senior Director of Government Affairs, USA Rice

Hosted by:

Michael Klein and Lesley Dixon

The Rice Leadership Development Program is extremely exclusive, and each year 5 farmers and 2 rice industry reps start their 2-year journey. Neither Michael nor Lesley would come close to qualifying – but Lesley was able to play the “media card” and join the new class on the first leg of their trip through Texas. She reports on the experience, including media training, a visit to a high-tech breeding lab, and getting to know members of the class.

The program is sponsored by John Deere, American Commodity Company, and RiceTec. You can learn more about the program by visiting www.usarice.com/foundation/leadership-program.

With special guests:

P.J. Haynie, Christi Bland-Miller, and Charles Payne, Rice Leadership Development class members

Hosted by:

Michael Klein and Lesley Dixon

School nutrition has come a long way in recent decades and U.S.-grown rice plays an important part because it's affordable, nutritious, and widely accepted. Two members of USA Rice's K-12 Chef Advisory Board, Chef Jason Hull and RDN Bettina Applewhite, join the podcast to talk about feeding kids and instilling positive dietary habits with rice. Michael and Lesley reminisce about their school days, compare notes, and discuss the merits of ketchup as a vegetable. On Wednesdays, they wear pink.

With special guests:

Bettina Applewhite, MS, RDN, LDN, Baltimore County Public Schools and Chef Jason Hull, Director of Culinary Services, Marin Country Day School

Hosted by:

Michael Klein and Lesley Dixon

The CAFTA-DR is the free trade agreement between the United States and Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and the Dominican Republic. As with agreements of this type, tariffs have been heading lower and in 2023 we entered into a period of actual free trade for rice with the countries. USA Rice’s Peter Bachmann and Sarah Moran join our newest co-host, Asiha Grigsby, to unpack the agreement and comment on how U.S. rice is faring in these markets.

With special guests:

Sarah Moran, Vice President, International, USA Rice and Peter Bachmann, Vice President, Policy & Government Affairs, USA Rice

Hosted by:

Asiha Grigsby, Michael Klein and Lesley Dixon

The 2023 Farm Bill is expected to be a $1.7 trillion piece of legislation (that's "trillion" with a T). Less than 20 percent actually finds its way to U.S. farms so making the case why you need attention can be "do-or-die." Fresh off a Farmer Fly-in, USA Rice Senior Director Jamison Cruce joins us to talk about rice's legislative priorities for this massive bill. Also, Michael sat down with Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to talk rice farmer assistance and communicating about agriculture in general.

With special guests:

Jamison Cruce, Senior Director of Government Affairs, USA Rice, LG Raun, Texas Rice Farmer, and Tom Vilsack, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture

Hosted by:

Michael Klein and Lesley Dixon

Celebrity Chef Sara Moulton’s path to TV stardom is fascinating. In this wide-ranging conversation she talks with Michael and Lesley about the journey, where home chefs go wrong, her favorite cooking utensils, meal kits, her new book “Sara Moulton’s Home Cooking 101,” and her current TV show, Sara’s Weeknight Meals, that actually brought her to rice country to learn about farming and conservation and cook alongside rice farmers in Arkansas, California, and Louisiana. www.saramoulton.com, @saramoulton

With special guest:

Sara Moulton

Hosted by:

Michael Klein and Lesley Dixon

In January, Lesley and Michael attended rice events in Texas and Arkansas where the industry gathered to talk about the year ahead and other important issues. They took the opportunity to visit with meeting attendees about water, the Farm Bill, the crop outlook, and on-farm alternative energy.

With special guests:

Debbie Hoffpauir, Texas rice farmer; Fitz Elder, U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee; David Gairhan, Arkansas rice farmer; Roger Pohlner, Arkansas rice farmer; Andrew Grobmyer, Agriculture Council of Arkansas; Collin Holzhauer, Arkansas rice farmer; Jim Whitaker, Arkansas rice farmer; Wayne Wiggins, Arkansas rice farmer; Lauren Waldrip, Arkansas Advanced Energy Association

Hosted by:

Michael Klein and Lesley Dixon

Brands and industries around the world spend millions of dollars to understand what makes consumers tick. On this episode, Michael and Lesley talk to USA Rice's Cameron Jacobs about the latest consumer research he has that peels back protective layers to tell us, what consumers who eat rice are thinking about when they do. Plus there's this.

With special guests:

Cameron Jacobs, Senior Director of Domestic Promotion, USA Rice

Hosted by:

Michael Klein and Lesley Dixon

At the 2022 USA Rice Outlook Conference, Dr. Steve Linscombe moderated a panel on organic rice farming with three experienced growers from different parts of the country. They then sat down and recorded a conversation about the unique challenges organic rice farming presents on an already challenging crop. From soil type to yield, and from varieties to prices, listen in as California's Michael Bosworth, Florida's Daniel Cavazos, and Texas' Ken Danklefs give you a peek inside the organic rice business.

With special guests:

Michael Bosworth, California Farmer, Next Generation Foods, Ken Danklefs, Texas Farmer, and Daniel Cavazos, Florida Farmer

Hosted by:

Michael Klein, Lesley Dixon, and Steve Linscombe

The 2022 USA Rice Outlook Conference was held in Austin, Texas from December 6-9. Michael and Lesley took their field recorders along and caught up with presenters, award winners, and others to talk about the exciting event. Be sure to check out the USA Rice YouTube page to see Cole's video and all the winning entries.

With special guests:

Milo Hamilton, Firstgrain, John Anderson, Castor River Farms, Dr. Steve Linscombe, USA Rice, and Cole Skelley, National Rice Month Scholarship Grand Prize Winner

Hosted by:

Michael Klein and Lesley Dixon