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Ducks Unlimited hosts nation’s leaders at Capitol Hill Dinner & Auction Following a two-year break due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ducks Unlimited (DU) hosted the annual Capitol Hill Dinner and Auction for the first time since 2019. With more than 500 total guests in attendance, including Biden Administration officials, congressional staff, DU leadership and more than 40 bipartisan members of Congress, wetlands conservation was once again the focus of government leaders from across the United States. “After a few years off, it was wonderful to gather again in the nation’s capital to celebrate wetlands conservation,” said DU CEO Adam Putnam. “DU is incredibly fortunate to have such great friends in Congress on both sides of the aisle who prioritize the conservation of waterfowl habitat and the preservation of America’s cherished outdoor spaces. This event is testament to the hard work of our volunteers and emblematic of our continued success working with Congress to support critical programs, like NAWCA, that will ensure our grandchildren have the same
Partnership sells ‘SmartRice’ across the United States RiceTec, a global rice seed company, in partnership with U.S. rice farm — Whitaker Grain — brought SmartRice to market earlier this year on Amazon and has now expanded to be available through Shopify. According to a recent press release, SmartRice is a rice product grown in a more sustainable method to reduce the use of agricultural resources and provide more grain to meet the world’s growing appetite. “Today’s consumers are hungry for sustainability. They’re demanding more environmental common sense out of every-
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opportunities to experience the outdoors that we enjoy today.” The North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) is a voluntary matching grant program that leverages non-federal and federal funds for wetland restoration. Since enactment in 1989, NAWCA has conserved more than 30 million acres and created an average of 7,500 new jobs annually. Every dollar spent by the federal government, on average, receives a $3 match from program partners like Ducks Unlimited. NAWCA is the nation’s most successful wetlands conservation program. DU hosts the annual Capitol Hill Dinner and Auction every spring in our nation’s capital, welcoming Members of Congress from both sides of the aisle and leaders of the current presidential administration, including from the White House, U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of the Interior. For more information, visit www.ducks.org, and be sure to follow DU’s Twitter feed — @DUNews1937 — to get the most up-to-date news from Ducks Unlimited.
thing they buy — including the food they put on their tables and the food they feed their pets,” said Tim Williamson, RiceTec marketing director. “That’s precisely what SmartRice delivers.” SmartRice is grown and distributed by Whitaker Grain, a family owned, fifth generation farm in Arkansas — the U.S. state with the largest rice production. Using highly researched methods, Whitaker Grain uses hybrid rice seed to qualify as a SmartRice product that lowers greenhouse emissions, creates water savings and results in high yields of grain production. “Rice growing methods such as alternate
wetting and drying irrigation and solar energy, along with other methods of conservation, allow us to save on natural resources, yield more rice and provide habitat to waterfowl,” said rice farmer Jim Whitaker. The release said SmartRice has the smallest carbon footprint of all commercially grown rice, thanks to a higher photosynthetic rate and naturally occurring pest and disease tolerance, requiring less water, nitrogen and pesticides. Based on an average of farm and statecollected data, SmartRice produces 50% less carbon emissions, yields 20% more per land unit and uses 50% less water than RICEFARMING.COM
