USA Rice Daily, Monday, October 17, 2011
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USA Rice Daily
Up-to-the-Minute News on Issues and Activities
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USA Rice Federation is the global advocate of all segments of the U.S. rice industry with a mission to promote and protect the interests of producers, millers, merchants and allied businesses.
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EPA Extends Deadline for Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure Plans
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WASHINGTON, DC -- In a major victory for the U.S. rice industry, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will propose to extend the date by which farms must prepare or amend their Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) Plans, to May 10, 2013. If no adverse comments are received, EPA will not take further action on this proposed rule and it will become final at the close of the 15 day comment period. The Direct Final Rule extending the deadline will be published in the Federal Register later this week.
According to an EPA spokesperson, "An overwhelming segment of the continental United States was affected by flooding during the spring and summer of 2011. Other areas were impacted by devastating fires. Many counties in many states were declared disaster areas by either the federal or state government or both. As a result, EPA believes that because of their unique nature, farms have been disproportionately affected and need additional time to prepare and implement a Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure Plan."
The USA Rice Federation's Environmental Regulatory Subcommittee has been working diligently since the rule was announced last November to have the agency extend the deadline. USA Rice Environmental Regulatory Subcommittee Chairman Ray Vester met with EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson and USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack to discuss the negative impacts of the natural disasters to rice country and their impacts on rule compliance. Coupled with a lack of compliance assistance, Chairman Vester predicted low compliance by the original November 2011 deadline. The subcommittee continuously worked to accumulate various datasets to show EPA that the rule was virtually unknown in the agricultural community and would result in low compliance. EPA credited the rice industry with providing justification for extending the rule.
The amendment does not relieve farms from the liability of any spills that occur while there is not an SPCC Plan in place.
Contact: Steven Hensley, (703) 236-1445
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Agriculture Committee Leaders Promise Nov. 1 Budget Reduction Proposal
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WASHINGTON -- House and Senate Agriculture Committee leaders have forwarded a $23 billion net budget deficit reduction in mandatory farm-bill programs in an October 14 letter. The four principal leaders pledged to Congress' Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction (JSC) that the $23 billion deduction would be paired with a complete legislative package by Nov.1.
Agriculture Committee Chairs Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Rep. Frank Lucas (R-OK) led ranking committee members Sen. Pat Roberts (R-KS) and Rep. Collin Peterson (D-MN) in transmitting to the JSC not only a cut in mandatory farm-program spending, but also a blunt declaration that the $23 billion in deficit savings for required agriculture spending is more than any savings achieved by an automatic budget reduction procedure known as sequestration, which "should absolve the programs...from any further reductions."
"America's producers need tools to manage their risk in case of natural disasters and increasingly volatile prices; the Farm Bill provides those tools," the letter says.
The four principals also itemized for the JSC the savings that mandatory agriculture programs have provided in recent years, including almost $25 billion less for farm safety net programs, $14 billion for crop insurance, and $3 billion for conservation programs. Nutrition assistance reductions total nearly $12 billion, with 37 other programs about to expire that have no future-years baseline, but are budgeted at $10 billion under current law.
Contact: Johnny Broussard, (703) 236-1451
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| rop Progress: Rice Harvest Progresses |
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. rice crop is 82 percent harvested, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Crop Progress report issued today.
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Rice Harvested, Selected States
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| Week Ending |
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State
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Oct. 16, 2010
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Oct. 9, 2011
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Oct.16, 2011
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2006-2010 average
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Percent
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AR
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98
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77
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88
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87
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CA
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29
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22
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29
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65
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LA
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100
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100
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100
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99
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MS
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100
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90
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98
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89
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MO
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100
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69
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83
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85
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Texas
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100
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100
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100
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100
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Six States
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88
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74
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82
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86
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These six states planted nearly 100 percent of last year's rice acreage.
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| CME Group/CBOT Rice Futures Closing |
CME Group (Preliminary): Closing Rough Rice Futures for Oct. 17
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Month
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Price
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Net Change
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Nov. 2011
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$16.525
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- $0.100
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Jan. 2011
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$16.840
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- $0.090
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Mar. 2012
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$17.140
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- $0.095
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May. 2012
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$17.395
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- $0.095
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Jul. 2012
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$17.615
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- $0.085
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Sept. 2012
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$16.615
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- $0.085
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Nov. 2012
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$16.915
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- $0.070
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In the News
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Arkansas in Spotlight at Sunbelt Ag Expo
Southeast Farm Press
Editorial: Bipartisan Effort to Boon U.S. Region
Times Record, AR (USA Rice Federation mentioned)
Jeff Davis Rice Growers Association Meeting Oct. 19
AgFax
Drought, Flooding Cause Hard Times in Arkansas, Louisiana
Associated Press
Rice Fields Become Mud Flats to Lure Birds
Chico Era-Enterprise, CA
Texans Face Billions in Water Works Bill as Drought Saps Perry's Economy
Bloomberg - (Rice mentioned)
EPA Will Not Tighten Farm Dust Standards
The Hill - (Rice not mentioned)
Super Committees' Cuts Will Impact Farm Bill
Dakota Farmer, ND - (Rice not mentioned)
Farm Group's Turning to Web to Burnish Image
MSNBC.com - (USFRA, AgChat mentioned)
Pilot Project on Commercial Rice Production Underway
Ghana News Link (Rice mentioned)
Mammoth Task of Feeding World's Growing Billions
Bangkok Post, Thailand - (Rice mentioned)
Nigeria Will Cease Importing Rice
Daily Sun News, Nigeria - (Rice mentioned)
Pakistan Starts Producing Japans Rice Variety
The Express Tribune, Karachi, Pakistan (Rice mentioned)
With Low Support Price, Rice Farming Becoming Costlier
The Times of India (Rice mentioned)
Farmers to Suffer Huge Loss in Recent Floods
Times of India
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| Mission Statement |
| USA Rice Federation is the global advocate for all segments of the U.S. rice industry with a mission to promote and protect the interests of producers, millers, merchants and allied businesses. |
| About Us |
Editor: Stacy Fitzgerald-Redd, (703) 236-1458,
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Associate Editor: Jamel Jackson, (703) 236-1444
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Fax (703) 236-2301
4301 North Fairfax Dr.
Suite 425, Arlington, VA 22203-1616.
This report is time-sensitive, based on information available at press time. Content is derived from facts and sources believed to be reliable. Reprinting and/or distribution may be done with permission of the USA Rice Federation
Copyright © 2010. Please direct comments or questions to the editor or contact name listed for each story. |
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