49th Annual Missouri Governor's Conference on Agriculture

USRPA staff member Mollie Buckler attended the 49th Annual Missouri Governor’s Conference on Agriculture at the Lake of the Ozarks last week. Rice Extension Specialist Justin Chlapecka also represented the Missouri Rice Council at the conference. The event brought together producers and agribusiness leaders from around the state of Missouri, with sessions on agriculture policy, economics, succession planning, labor challenges, and more.

Groundbreaking Ceremony for New Louisiana Rice Mill

Last week, the South Louisiana Rail Facility in partnership with Agreeta celebrated the groundbreaking of its new milling facility in Laccassine, Louisiana. Special guests who spoke at the ceremony included Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards, Louisiana Ag Commissioner Mike Strain, Parneet Swani, Director of Agreeta, and Corinna Baban, President of Agreeta USA.

Governor Edwards thanked Mark Pousson, General Manager of the South Louisiana Rail Facility, saying, “Mark has been tireless – thank you for what you’ve done for the state of Louisiana.”

The rail facility with access to the Port of Lake Charles opens the opportunity for direct rice sales from Louisiana and East Texas to Mexico and Central America. “The new mill is another resource for U.S. rice farmers to continue to provide a quality product to our customers for generations to come,” Pousson said, “We went from loading rail cars, then vessels and now operating our own rice mill, giving another marketing option for our members in just nine years.”

Among those in attendance, a strong delegation from the Central American Rice Federation (FECARROZ) joined the celebration and attended a dinner and reception hosted by LIRPA & SLRF the previous night. The USRPA hosts FECARROZ each year as a way for the groups to come together and discuss the market, future promotions, and trade policies. The FECARROZ delegation was grateful to meet and talk with the rice farmers whose hands grow and deliver the rice they buy for their countries. They were also able to meet and chat with Governor Edwards immediately before the groundbreaking ceremony.

The US Rice Producers Association is proud to be a strong ally and advocate of the Louisiana Independent Rice Producers Association and the South Louisiana Rail Facility, whose hard work has made the new milling facility a reality.