The Rice Stuff

USA Rice is a founding member of the Oldways Whole Grains Council, and in this episode, we check in with Kelly LeBlanc, VP of Nutrition for Oldways who shares results of a recent consumer survey her group conducted that looks into American understanding of nutrition, whole grains like brown rice, and the Whole Grain Stamp as a symbol of healthy eating. We also chat nutrition with Sam Schneider, rice farmer, owner of Inland Cape Rice Company, and a nutrition and wellness devotee.

With special guests:

Kelly LeBlanc, MLA, RD, LDN, Vice President of Nutrition Programming, Oldways and Sam Schneider, Owner, Inland Cape Rice Co

Hosted by:

Michael Klein and Lesley Dixon

U.S. rice got its start more than 300 years ago in the coastal region of the Carolinas and many are once again growing the heirloom varieties that made the region the first rice capital of the U.S. First, Michael & Lesley talk with Craig Sasser, refuge manager at Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge that includes the Hasty Point Plantation and their still operating rice fields. Then it's back to the Fancy Food Show in NYC where Michael visited with growers from South Carolina's White House Farms and North Carolina's Tidewater Grain Company.

With special guests:

• Craig Sasser, Refuge Manager, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
• Paul Quattlebaum and Griffith James, White House Farms
• Tommy Wheeler and Tommy Mitchell, Tidewater Grain Company

Hosted by:

Michael Klein and Lesley Dixon

Related links:

www.whitehousefarms.com www.tidewatergrain.com www.fws.gov/refuge/waccamaw

Maybe you know wild rice isn't technically rice, but do you know where and how wild rice is grown? Processed? Do you know the top market for wild rice? Or what kind of special nutrition punch wild rice packs? Elise Oliver, Director of Operations and Research for the California Wild Rice Advisory Board joins Lesley and Cameron to answer those and other questions about Oryza sativa's mighty cousin. Plus Michael and Lesley kvetch about the heat and talk wild rice recipes that can be found at www.calwildrice.org.

With special guest:

Elise Oliver, Director of Operations & Research, California Wild Rice Advisory Board

Hosted by:

Lesley Dixon, Cameron Jacobs, and Michael Klein

Rice is moved by road, rail, & water. Each mode of transport has advantages and drawbacks, but poor service is making rail a costly and frustrating option. Keith Glover, president & CEO of Producers Rice Mill, has been running point for the industry on holding Class 1 railroads accountable. He comes by to offer history and an update. Also, Michael sat down with Robert Primus, a member of the U.S. Surface Transportation Board to talk about problems, accountability, and where shippers can go from here.

With special guests:

Keith Glover, President & CEO, Producers Rice Mill and Robert Primus, Member, U.S. Surface Transportation Board

Hosted by:

Michael Klein and Lesley Dixon

Michael is back from the 2023 Fancy Food Show and the Rice Millers' Association Convention where he visited with experts to talk about consumer trends. First, he attended a session with Dwight Richmond, Director of Center Store at Town & Country Markets Inc, to hear his thoughts on how and why he buys for his stores. Then Michael sat down with Emily Moquin, Food & Beverage Analyst for Morning Consult to hear her analysis of how the retail sector is changing right in front of our eyes.

With special guest:

Emily Moquin, Food and Beverage Analyst, Morning Consult

Hosted by:

Michael Klein and Lesley Dixon

Anheuser-Busch is the largest user of U.S.-grown rice and they have a special relationship with farmers – especially in Arkansas. Lesley got out of the Texas heat to go up to Jonesboro and the 2nd Annual Discovery Farm Showcase where she met and interviewed rice farmer Eric Vaught, U of AR researcher Trent Roberts, a Budweiser Clydesdale, and A-B's Bill Jones. The event highlighted regenerative agriculture, soil fertility, irrigation strategies, the importance of research and checkoff dollars and more.

With special guests:

Eric Vaught, Arkansas Rice Farmer, Dr. Trent Roberts, University of Arkansas, and Bill Jones, Anheuser-Busch

Hosted by:

Lesley Dixon and Michael Klein

We're talking organic rice again. This time, Lesley shares interviews she conducted at a Texas rice event a few months ago. Bob Whitney with the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and Dr. Alvaro Durand-Murat at the University of Arkansas shared their thoughts and new exciting research they are undertaking in organic rice production. Then Michael and Lesley are joined by Dr. Steve Linscombe for his perspective on the topic.

With special guests:

Bob Whitney, Regents Fellow & Extension Organic Program Specialist, Texas A&M University and Dr. Alvaro Durand-Morat, Assistant Professor, Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness, University of Arkansas

Hosted by:

Michael Klein, Lesley Dixon, and Steve Linscombe

Rice is the most manipulated commodity in the world and U.S. rice exporters and farmers are at the mercy of governments that make no secret of their WTO violations. The industry would like the U.S. government to take a case against India to the WTO – but our two recent victories against China have had little impact – so is it worth it? Craig Thorn of DTB AgriTrade and USA Rice's Peter Bachmann join Michael and Asiha to talk it all through. All that, the Peace Corp, being tear gassed, and more.

With special guests:

Craig Thorn, Partner, DTB AgriTrade and Peter Bachmann, VP of Government Affairs & Trade Policy, USA Rice

Hosted by:

Michael Klein and Asiha Grigsby

All U.S. rice is GMO free. However the use of non-GMO DNA marker technologies has greatly improved the rice breeding process in recent years. Are these scientific breakthroughs making things easier for researchers? Are we on the path to The. Perfect. Variety? Leaders in the field from RiceTec and LSU join the podcast to talk about the technology and how they utilize it to look for specific traits in both pureline and hybrid varieties and what the future holds.

With special guests:

Brijesh Angira, Assistant Professor, College of Agriculture, Louisiana State University, Roberto Fritsche-Neto, Assistant Professor of Quantitative Genetics, Louisiana State University, Dr. Adam Famoso, Associate Professor, Louisiana State University, and Joshua Cobb, Director of Global Breeding Transformation, RiceTec Inc.

Hosted by:

Michael Klein, Steve Linscombe, and Lesley Dixon

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