16th september,2013 daily rice e newsletter (global rice news updates) shared by riceplus magazine(i

16th September, 2013

TOP Contents - Tailored for YOU Latest News Headlines…  La. rice farmers get late start but finish fast with near-record crop; Arkansas plantings fall  LSU researcher studies arsenic in rice  Punjab waives rural development, market fee on basmati  Farming systems design: to feed a changing world  Vietnam to have 150 rice exporters by 2015  Punjab basmati rice exporters, farmers want level playing field  PH most 'GMO-friendly' country in Southeast Asia?  Rice Grows More Important to American Diets  Rice harvest underway at plantation on SC coast  Application deadline for rice leadership program nears

NEWS DETAILS: La. rice farmers get late start but finish fast with near-record crop; Arkansas plantings fall

By JANET McCONNAUGHEY Associated Press First Posted: September 14, 2013 - 11:22 am:Last Updated: September 14, 2013 - 11:25 am NEW ORLEANS — Despite late planting due to a cold, wet spring, Louisiana's rice crop is looking good, while planting problems in Arkansas may boost U.S. rice prices a bit."I think we'll establish a record" for pounds per

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acre, said Johnny Saichuk, rice expert for the LSU AgCenter. Though final harvest figures aren't in, he said the 2013 crop has been helped by the fact that low temperatures on very few summer nights were above 75 degrees."It's the best crop we've had in a long, long time," said farmer Jim Lingo of Oak Grove in West Carroll Parish. He said Monday that he hadn't yet begun harvesting his 320 acres of rice, but his father and brother, who have about 1,000 acres in rice, were reaping an early harvest well above average.Prices may rise a bit because the cold, wet weather that delayed Louisiana's planting kept some farmers in Arkansas — the nation's usual top producer — from planting at all.

Although the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that Arkansas farmers planted just over 1 million acres, University of Arkansas extension service rice expert Jerrod Hardke thinks it's closer to 975,000. That's nearly 25 percent less than planned and would be the first time in about three decades that fewer than 1 million acres have been planted in Arkansas, he said."We were looking at planting intentions of 1.25 million acres," Hardke said.Saichuk estimated that Louisiana farmers planted up to 400,000 acres this season — in the ballpark of last year's 391,000 acres.California planted 550,000 acres, Missouri 164,000, Mississippi 160,000 and Texas 130,000, according to USDA estimates.Louisiana's rice acreage never recovered from Hurricane Rita, which hit the southwest part of the state about a month after Katrina hit the southeast in 2005, Saichuk said. Farmers had planted an average of 508,000 acres a year since 2000, but the 2006 total fell to 347,000. USDA figures — generally higher than state figures — put the average from 2006 on at 431,000 acres.

"Certainly a smaller crop in Arkansas would push the prices up for all the farmers," AgCenter economist Mike Salassi said.He said prices have trended up from $14.50 per 100 pounds, or hundredweight, in August 2012 to $15.50 this past July.Salassi attributes some of the increase to crop estimates. He also said that the United States produces too little rice to affect world prices. About 1.2 percent of the world's milled rice comes from the United States, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.The current price "is close to or just above break-even" for farmers, Salassi said, because production costs — particularly fuel and fertilizer — have risen so much. "Even when you have stable prices and yield, you're still a little behind where you were in the previous year."

The record yield, set in 2011, is 6,717 pounds per acre — or, as Louisiana farmers figure it, 41.5 barrels at 162 pounds each in the south of the state and 149.3 bushels (45 pounds each) in northern parishes.Lingo said early harvests this year for his father and brother have ranged from 190 to 220 bushels per acre, compared with an average of 160 to 180 bushels.However, "green yields" at harvest are generally higher than official yields, noted Steve Linscombe, director of the LSU AgCenter Rice Research Station in Crowley."As the rice is coming out of the field, it could be 20 to 21 percent grain moisture. Our official reported yields are always at 12 percent grain moisture, after they've been dried," he said.What's more important, Linscombe said, is early indications of high milling quality."Starting with 100 pounds of paddy or rough rice, when you mill it, you want to end up with 70 pounds of milled rice — and you want at least 60 pounds to be whole grain," he said. Linscomb said a Crowley mill manager said his early percentages are slightly higher than those figures.

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LSU researcher studies arsenic in rice The Associated Press:Posted September 14, 2013 at 1:39 p.m.

CROWLEY, La. (AP) - An LSU Agcenter agronomist will help determine whether levels of arsenic in rice are higher in different varieties and whether the methods used to flood paddies affect arsenic content.The Advocate reports (http://bit.ly/15Wkr1m ) the project will be under the direction of Dustin Harrell at the Agcenter's rice research station in Crowley.All plants absorb arsenic from the soil, he said. But rice tends to absorb more because it grows in flooded conditions where arsenic is more available for absorption.The testing is being conducted in major rice-growing states, including Texas, California, Mississippi, Arkansas, Missouri and Louisiana.

Punjab waives rural development, market fee on basmati PTI; CHANDIGARH, SEPT 14: The decision is likely to boost basmati cultivation by extending a benefit of nearly Rs 200 crore to its trade in Punjab.The Punjab Government today decided to waive the Rural Development Fee (RDF) and market fee on basmati variety of paddy in the State.The nod in this regard was given by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, a Government spokesperson said.The decision is likely to boost basmati cultivation by extending a benefit of nearly Rs 200 crore to its trade in the State, the spokesperson added. “The main objective of providing these exemptions to rice millers and exporters by the State Government under the diversification plan was to make basmati milling competitive so that the basmati produce of farmers was lifted at remunerative prices,� he said.As a result, the State would be able to increase the area under basmati cultivation, conserve depleting underground water levels besides motivating the farmers to shift to basmati cultivation, which is a far less water intensive crop than normal paddy, he added.This decision was taken following a series of deliberations between the Punjab Rice Millers and Export Association and the Chief Minister.The Rural Development Fee (RDF) and market fee of 2 per cent each was being charged on basmati crop.

(This article was published on September 14, 2013) Keywords: Punjab rice millers, basmati rice, Rural Development Fee, RDF, market fee on basmati, Punjab Rice Millers and Export Association, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal

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Farming systems design: to feed a changing world Farming systems all over the world face complex problems in terms of production, such as natural resource depletion, climate change, increasing food demand, and volatile prices. Farmers have to adapt to continuously changing conditions to produce food. „Farming systems design‟ is an approach that aims at modifying designs of farming systems to sustainably increase the overall productivity and profitability of the systems—and, hopefully, the welfare of individual farming families—while considering interactions in the system. Interactions are important features of farm system structure and operation. They may occur between the various components, including crop-crop, crop-livestock, and farm-household as well as on-farmoff-farm activities as they compete for the same resources.

More than 70 papers on systems research were recently presented at the 4th International Farming Systems Design Symposium in Lanzhou, China.

CIMMYT researchers were represented by Bruno Gérard, director of the Conservation Agriculture Program, and CIMMYT agronomists Santiago López Ridaura, Tek Sakpota, Isaiah Nyagumbo, and Jack McHugh. The conference took place from 19- 22 August and was organized byWHEAT CRP Chinese partner Gansu Academy of Agricultural Sciences and others. Research with a farming systems perspective can have various objectives ranging from increasing the amount of knowledge about farming systems to solving specific problems in the farming system. If it is commonly agreed that cross-links between disciplines and participatory approaches are needed to provide solutions, “there is no silver bullet approach to be expected,” said keynote speaker David Norman, professor emeritus of agricultural economics at Kansas State University and pioneer in the field of Farming Systems Research (FSR). “The most important is to take into account the whole farming system and bring together all stakeholders,” Norman explained. “If a project works

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on one crop, like CIMMYT on maize for instance, FSR would look at how maize impacted if they have livestock, the influence on livestock components, etc. The reductionist approach would look at how improving productivity of one item without considering the whole farming system.”

For Peter Carberry, chair of the Program Committee and deputy director at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), “this conference is about bringing those who are interested in a more integrative science together, and have all the different disciplines articulating possibilities for the future in terms of agriculture and farming.” One of the benefits of the conference for him is that among the 300 participants, there were 200 Chinese researchers and students, some who may not have been exposed to this thinking before. “We have a mix of people who are familiar with Farming Systems Design and others who are just starting learning about it; it is a great opportunity,” Carberry said. LingLing Li, professor at Gansu Agricultural University and keynote speaker, shared a similar point of view. “This platform is a really good start for all experts and students involved in Farming Systems Design, as we do not yet have many scientists doing this type of research in China,” Li said.

On day one and two, there were several presentations on Africa and on the Sustainable Intensification of MaizeLegume Systems for Food Security in Eastern and Southern Africa (SIMLESA) program led and mentored by CIMMYT.

“SIMLESA has been innovating in so many different ways, firstly about systems and farming systems, participatory approaches and new experiments in research methodology by targeting not only productivity but also reduced risks, which we have heard a lot in this conference. Because for farmers risks are sometimes more important than total yields,” said John Dixon, senior advisor in the Australian Center for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) and principal regional coordinator for Africa. Important questions raised throughout the conference included how to get better participation with farmers, how to get the private sector involved for marketing through innovation platforms, how to manage risks and how scientists can work much better at systems productivity to understand better nutrition, as one of the outcomes, “to better feed our future farmers,” Dixon insisted. On the last day, a special session brought together Australian and Chinese farmers to discuss farming operations. This opportunity to exchange information and share experiences related to climate risks, prices or yields created enthusiasm on both parts.

Vietnam to have 150 rice exporters by 2015 VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnam will have at most 150 rice exporters with close connection with major production areas by 2015, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT).

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The figure was announced during a conference on rice export and exporter management in Ho Chi Minh City on September 10.

At the conference, Phan Van Chinh, head of the Import-Export Department under the MoIT, said that exporters must meet three main criteria to receive licences to export rice.They must have rice storage and rice husking mills located in localities included in the planned areas.Exporters having their own raw material areas or work with partners to order and buy rice from farmers will be prioritised, he said.In addition, Chinh said exporters must meet requirements of export volume, material areas and connectivity with farmers in order to maintain their export licences.According to Deputy Minister Tran Tuan Anh, the world rice export market has seen an increasing supply and many new markets have appeared, affecting Vietnamese exports.

He said in the next months, the global rice market will continue facing difficulties with high inventory, making exporting countries let out their stockpile.The situation requires Vietnamese exporters to carefully and accurately evaluate the market demand to find suitable solutions, he added.During the event, authorities from the MoIT suggested a number of measures to manage rice export such as strengthening domestic linkages and collaboration in line with national promotion programmes, and seeking new markets.

Source: Vietnam Plus Tags:Vietnam,MoIT,rice exporters,global rice market,Vietnamese exporters,

Punjab basmati rice exporters, farmers want level playing field PTI:CHANDIGARH, SEPT 13: Rice exporters and farmers in Punjab have asked the state government to reverse its decision of giving market fee exemption on basmati paddy to state rice millers or processors, saying that it would lead to exploitation of state based basmati growers.Exporters further pointed out that those exporters or traders availing exemption in the state would resort to giving lower prices to growers in the absence of any level playing field.

Punjab government in its latest notification has exempted 2 per cent market fee on basmati paddy if purchased by state based millers, exporters said.“The new notification issued by the Punjab government will lead to cartelisation by few rice millers or traders in Punjab as they will give lower prices to basmati growers because no rice miller or exporter who is based out of Punjab will buy basmati paddy from the state......as it will not be viable for him because of exemption available only to state rice millers,” Former President of All India Rice Exporters Association, Vijay Setia told PTI today.“Basmati growers in this case will be exploited as this move is only meant to favour select rice traders or millers in Punjab,” he alleged.Exporters further said if farmers get lower prices for basmati produce then it would also adversely hit Punjab government‟s ambitious crop diversification programme.“There should be a level playing field for all rice millers irrespective of their location,” he demanded. Sizeable chunk of basmati paddy procured from Punjab is processed by millers in

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Haryana.Expressing concern over fetching lower price for their produce, Punjab based farmers have also urged the state government to reverse its decision of exempting market fee on basmati paddy.

“Our growers will be at disadvantage because miller or trader from outside Punjab will not come and buy basmati paddy from here,” said Punjab Young Farmers‟ Association Secretary General Bhagwan Dass.Punjab government has been pushing hard to reduce area under paddy crop by promoting basmati and other alternative crops. It has even announced to fix MSP for basmati rice crop, though farmers are still awaiting the announcement of state assured price.Punjab is a major grower of basmati crop especially PUSA 1121 and area under basmati in the state is pegged at 6-7 lakh hectares out of total area of 28 lakh hectares.

(This article was published on September 13, 2013) Keywords: Rice, exporters, farmers, Punjab, reverse, decision, market fee exemption, basmati paddy, state rice millers or processors,

PH most 'GMO-friendly' country in Southeast Asia?

BY PIA RANADA POSTED ON 09/14/2013 8:51 AM | UPDATED 09/14/2013 3:21 PM GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY? Golden Rice, currently undergoing field trials in the Philippines, is supposed to be the world's answer to Vitamin A deficiency. Photo from International Rice Research Institute MANILA, Philippines - Last August, around 400 farmers uprooted the genetically-modified crop Golden Rice grown in a government-owned testing field in Pili, Camarines Sur.Condemned as an act of vandalism by pro-GMO scientists, the uprooting was the farmers' way of protesting the planting of Golden Rice on Philippine soil.They contended that far from benefiting farmers, Golden Rice will contaminate native rice crops and pose risks to public health and the environment. Once GM crops are exposed to nature, there is no recalling their unforeseen impact on soil, organisms and nearby crops.The farmers, members of anti-GMO alliance SIKWAL-GMO, also decried the lack of consultation with Bicolano farmers.

“Last February, we had a dialogue with officials from the Department of Agriculture. After airing our concerns, they promised us that they will not conduct any Golden Rice field trials. However, they still continued these clandestine field trials," alliance spokesperson Bert Aunor was quoted as saying in news reports."We are very concerned as news about feed testing will start this year and that the harvest will be used in these feed experiments."The Golden Rice field test trials are being conducted by the Philippine Rice Research Institute in

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partnership with the Department of Agriculture.Unlike normal rice, the distinctly yellow Golden Rice has been genetically-engineered to contain more beta carotene, a precursor of Vitamin A. While beta carotene is found in the leaves of the rice plant, scientists found a way to insert genes from bacteria and corn into the edible parts of the plant so that beta carotene is produced in the grains as well.

Golden Rice has been touted as the "poster boy" of genetically-modified organisms or GMOs because it is said to address Vitamin A deficiency, a leading cause of blindness in children all over the world.The World Health Organization estimates that 250,000 to 500,000 children become Vitamin A deficient each year, half of them dying within months of losing their sight.

'GMO-friendly' country While Golden Rice is still being tested, a total of 44 GMOs have been approved by the government: 40 for direct use as food, animal feed and food processing and 4 for planting as crops. Most of these are geneticallyaltered corn, soybean, potato, canola, cotton, sugarbeet and alfalfa.They have been genetically-engineered to resist pests and herbicides, delay ripening or enhance their nutritional value.

A FIRST. Bt corn, which produces its own insecticide, was the first GM crop planted in the PhilippinesAll of these approved GMOs are products of big multinational agro-chemical companies like Monsanto, Syngenta, Bayer and Pioneer which own patents to these crops.Daniel Ocampo, Sustainable Agriculture Campaigner of environment group Greenpeace, is disturbed by how "friendly" the Philippines is to GMOs despite more than 60 countries in the world, including Japan, Australia, and countries in the European Union already putting restrictions and bans on GMOs."We are the only Southeast Asian country that allows the planting of a GM food crop. Our neighbors are more cautious in approving GMOs. Our government is approving left and right. At the rate we're going, there are approvals every one-and-a-half months."Thelma Soriano, senior agriculturist of Biotech Core Team, the government agency charged with approving and monitoring GMO applications, said, "We are not 'so open' to GM crops. The Philippines is just open to all agricultural tools, methods, and

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technologies that can be of help to the Filipino farmer, so long as this is safe for human and animal consumption and the environment."Crop biotechnology is just an option.

It is the farmers who will decide if they need the technology or not for their particular farm."But Ocampo tells a different story."First, these companies use promotions and discounts. They give farmers free trial seeds for planting.May raffle pa nga yan (they even raffle them off). Some of the farmers we've talked to, especially the small landholders, most of them have tried planting GM corn but after one planting season, they quit. But they are forced to plant it again because the credit facilities they borrow from will only grant them loans if they plant GM corn. These facilities are partly funded by GM companies like Monsanto."Even more disturbing is how GM companies package their GM crops with their other products. For instance, Roundup Ready corn by Monsanto is genetically-programmed to be resistant only to Roundup herbicide, a product also by Monsanto.

Soriano admitted that Biotech Core Team (BCT) "has never encountered denying a GM crop for direct use for food, feed or for processing. So far, all of the GM crops applied for these purposes have first been developed as a complete finished product and approved for direct use as food, feed or processing in the country of origin."This, despite the existence of the Organic Agriculture Act (Republic Act 10068) that clearly excludes GMOs in its definition of the agricultural systems the government should be promoting.Today, more than 50% of food in an average grocery in the Philippines are GMOs or contain GMOs, estimated Ocampo."If it's highly processed, it will probably contain canola, extenders like corn and soya, and these are imported from the US where GMOs are one of their largest industries."

NO TO GMO. Daniel Ocampo of Greenpeace campaigns against field-testing of GMO crops in the Philippines.

Photo from Greenpeace Health, environmental harms But what, really, are the harms posed by GMOs? Genetically-altered food has been consumed by humans since 1994 when GM tomato was first marketed in the US.Though no one has died from eating GM food, Ocampo said genetic engineering is too new a technology for us to see long-term impact on human health.But some of these possible effects have already been reported in animals fed with GMOs.A 2009 study published by the International Journal of Biological Sciences reported disturbances in the organ functions of rats fed with 3 types of GM corn, including Roundup Ready corn by Monsanto.The two other varieties, also found in the market today, are genetically engineered to produce their own insecticide.The study reported distrubances in the rats' kidney and liver, and effects in their heart, adrenal, spleen and blood cells."The highly statistically

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significant disturbances in the function of these organs, seen between male and female rats, cannot be dismissed as biologically insignificant as has been proposed by others," read the report.

"We therefore conclude that our data strongly suggest that these GM maize varieties induce a state of hepatorenal toxicity."Hepatorenal toxicity can ultimately lead to hepatorenal syndrome, a life-threatening condition characterized by the rapid deterioration of kidneys.If alarming health risks like these have not yet manifested, the environmental impact of planting GM crops already have.A Cornell study reported that toxic pollen from Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) corn has led to the deaths of monarch butterflies. Though Bt corn produces its own insecticide to kill crop-damaging pests, it also kills "nontarget" organisms like honeybees and ladybugs, which are essential to agricultural ecosystems as pollinators or predators of pests.But the fact that many aspects of GMOs remain a mystery does not mean the technology should be condemned outright, said Dr Ben Peczon, a scientist and member of pro-GMO Biotechnology Coalition of the Philippines."Yes, all the effects of GMOs are not known and probably will never be. Such is the way of our wonderful existence. The point is there will never be total consensus. The majority of scientists approve of the use of responsible genetic modification. I repeat, the code words are safe and responsible use of modern biotechnology. Naysayers will always be there."

ORGANIC ALTERNATIVES. Farmers in Mindoro seek to keep their province free of GMOs. Photo from Greenpeace Do we need GMOs? Peczon maintains that GMOs can be a boon to the country, if given a chance."The Philippines needs food, fuel and fiber for its population and to create assets. Biotechnology is a tool to help meet these needs. Our country has finite land to grow needed crops. The country therefore must produce more from this finite amount of land to meet the needs of an increasing population," he told Rappler.GMOs can increase crop yield per hectare by genetically-coding crops to protect themselves from pests and herbicides.But a United Nations-commissioned report says that the world can get by without GMOs. While GMO use is largely concentrated in countries like the US, Argentina, Brazil and Canada, 93% of the planet's cultivated land still uses conventional farming.Higher yield can be achieved through organic agricultural techniques like multi-crop planting and the use of natural "pesticides" like lemongrass, roots of the tubli plant, and vines of manunggal, said Ocampo.

Fork in the road Today, GMOs in the Philippines reach a crux with the judiciary blocking the approval of Bt eggplant or "super talong."Last May, the Court of Appeals stopped the nationwide field testing of the GM eggplant saying, "there is no full scientific certainty yet as to the effects of Bt talong field trials to the environment and to the health of the people."Read the complete decision here.It chose to uphold the precautionary principle which states that "when human activities may lead to threats of serious and irreversible damage to the environment that is scientifically plausible but uncertain, actions shall be taken to avoid or diminish the threat."The petition

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was filed by Greenpeace and farmers' group Masipag who opposed the field testing being done by respondents UP Los BaĂąos Foundation Inc, UP Mindanao Foundation Inc, the Department of Agriculture, and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.But the respondents filed a motion for reconsideration in June.Those on either side of the GMO fence wait with bated breath for the judiciary's next move. A final decision on Bt talong could determine the direction the entire country will take on GMOs. - Rappler.com

Rice Grows More Important to American Diets

By Ellyn Ferguson:Roll Call Staff:Sept. 13, 2013, 4:07 p.m.

FDA OKs Arsenic Levels in Rice; Critics Not Convinced We are what we eat, and rice increasingly is a part of the American diet. About half of the U.S. rice crop goes into foods eaten by Americans. Domestic demand for homegrown rice has steadily risen by about 1 percent each year since the 1980s.The Economic Research Service, the analytical division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, says the rising demand is fueled by immigration, which is changing the countryâ€&#x;s composition and increasing the size and buying clout of ethnic groups that make rice a basic part of everyday meals. Sales of U.S. rice are also on the upswing because of other trends such as the emphasis on healthy diets, new rice-based products and the demand for alternatives to foods with gluten, the service says.Worldwide, parts of Asia and Africa are the big global consumers of rice. But even in those regions, there are shifting patterns. Fewer people in Japan and Taiwan are eating rice, while consumption is increasing in the Philippines, Indonesia, India and Bangladesh.Rice tends to be a grain that is eaten close to home, with crops in rice-producing countries mostly destined for domestic markets. However, Thailand and Vietnam are top rice exporters, with the United States generally ranking in third or fourth place, although only 2 percent of the grain is produced here, according to the Economic Research Service.

Rice is a water-intensive crop requiring wet or flooded fields in which to grow, although there have been improvements that allow the use of less water than in the past.

In California, wet rice seeds are air-dropped into wet fields with about 5 inches of water, according to the California Rice Commission. In the other U.S. rice regions, the seed is planted more traditionally. ellynferguson@cqrollcall.com | @vaferguson

Rice harvest underway at plantation on SC coast

BY BRUCE SMITH, ASSOCIATED PRESS : SEPTEMBER 13, 2013

A man gestures to Carolina Gold rice grown at Middleton Place, a plantation and national historic landmark outside of Charleston, S.C. ,Friday, Sept. 13, 2013. The plantation has been harvesting rice from a quarter-acre field using the same methods used in colonial times for the past decade.

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CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Rice, the commodity that once made South Carolina one of the richest colonies in British colonial North America, is being harvested again the coast just outside Charleston.The three-day rice harvest is underway at Middleton Place, a plantation and national historic site on the Ashley River.For about a decade now, the plantation has planted and harvested rice from a quarter-acre field using the same methods used in colonial times — planting by hand and using a curved blade called a rice hook to harvest."By growing and harvesting our Carolina Gold rice, which dates back to 1780, it gives folks a little glimpse of the past. You have to squint a little bit, and then you start to understand the economics" of the rice culture, said Bob Sherman, a historic interpreter at the plantation.

This year's harvest, which concludes Saturday, coincides with the Lowcountry Rice Culture Forum.

The forum was developed in part by artist Jonathan Green whose colorful paintings of the Gullah culture of sea island slaves are in collections worldwide. It features three days of events focusing on the significance of rice in colonial times and how rice, class, art and history still influence the Southeast today.As the rice culture took hold bringing immense wealth to planters, it required more and more slaves."Here in the South we think of cotton. But for every worker you need on a cotton plantation, you need 10 on a rice plantation. This is extremely labor intensive," said Jeff Neale, another interpreter at Middleton who on Friday worked under a warm sun with a rice hook cutting down the stalks heavy with rice grains.South Carolina, in 1700, exported about 12,000 pounds of rice.

"In 1770, they will export 83 million pounds. As the rice production grows, the number of slaves grows," he said. By 1860, production is 140 million pounds.This year's Middleton crop was planted on May 16.There were two ways in colonial times that slaves planted rice."One method was the heel-toe method. They would go out barefoot and make a hole with their toe, put some seed in it and take their heel and press it down, move up a few inches and do it again," Neale said.Middleton uses the second method, a harrower with spikes in it that makes a row with small holes. The seed is dropped in and then tapped down with a hoe.The crop at Middleton will be about 400 pounds and "you might get at retail $4,000," Sherman said.Some of the rice will stay at Middleton where school children this fall will get to experience the rice culture by winnowing the rice, removing the hull from the grain. Some will be shared with other historic sites in the area for their education programs."It's worth far more as a teaching tool and a demonstration tool than it is a food crop," Sherman said.

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Application deadline for rice leadership program nears USA Rice | September 13, 2013Applications for the Rice Leadership Development Program must be received

by Oct. 5. Rice producers and industry-related professionals are encouraged to apply for the next class, which will be announced in December at the USA Rice Outlook Conference in St. Louis, Mo. The Rice Leadership Development Program gives young men and women a comprehensive understanding of the U.S. rice industry, with an emphasis on personal development and communication skills training. During a two-year period, class members attend four one-week sessions that are designed to strengthen their leadership skills.The class is comprised of five rice producers and two industry-related professionals chosen by a committee of agribusiness leaders evaluating their applications, reviewing letters of recommendation and conducting personal interviews with the finalists. Candidates must be 25-45 at the time of application and derive their primary livelihood from some aspect of the rice industry.The program is sponsored by John Deere Company, RiceTec, Inc. and American Commodity Company through The Rice Foundation and managed by the USA Rice Federation.

For more information on the program or an application form, visit http://www.usarice.com/.

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