U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Visits Great River Milling to Celebrate First Consumer Product Funded by USDA Partnership for Climate-Smart Commodities - Climate-Friendly Certified Rice™

Rice is a vital global food source sustaining over half the world’s population. Now, domestically grown “Climate-Friendly” rice is available to US consumers.

FOUNTAIN CITY, Wis.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--On Tuesday, March 26, United States Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will join Columbia Grain International and its subsidiary Enrich Foods at our production facility, Great River Milling, to highlight how projects under USDA’s historic Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities are creating new revenue streams for farmers from their sustainable agricultural practices.

“Nutritious and sustainably produced food should be accessible to all consumers, and farmers should be rewarded for caring for the land,” states Jeff Van Pevenage, CEO of Columbia Grain International. Traditional rice growing methods involve fully flooded rice paddies, which produce high levels of methane. But if farmers can control the water usage and still produce the same high-quality product, they can mitigate many of the negative effects.

The Climate-Friendly Certified by AgriCapture™ growing process

• Reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 60-95 percent
• Reduces water use by up to 33 percent
• Improves soil health and promotes carbon sequestration

The first consumer products funded by USDA’s Partnership for Climate-Smart Commodities are now available to US households - Great River Milling Long Grain White Rice and Long Grain Brown Rice. Grown and produced in America’s heartland, climate-friendly rice represents a game-changing advance in sustainable farming—from funding to field to shelf to plate.

Tune into the event livestream on Tuesday, March 26th to hear from Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, US Rice Farmers and Columbia Grain International.

About Columbia Grain International

Columbia Grain International (CGI) is dedicated to cultivating the growth of the food supply chain in the northwestern U.S. to ensure the world receives high-quality grains, pulses, oilseeds, and organics. Columbia Grain International is the bridge between the producer and the consumer, backed by more than 40 years of agronomy experience and expertise. CGI has developed partnerships with over 8,000 U.S. farmers to fulfill crop demands from customers that require superior food products, which are then purchased by consumers worldwide. CGI was formed in 1978 and is a subsidiary of Marubeni Corporation, a major Japanese integrated trading and investment business conglomerate that handles products and services across a broad range of fields and regularly practices environmental sustainability. The Columbia Grain headquarters is based in Portland, Oregon and they own and operate assets and joint ventures in Washington, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota and Wisconsin. Visit https://columbiagrain.com/.

About Enrich Foods

In 2023, Enrich Foods, LLC acquired Great River Milling and became part of the Columbia Grain International (CGI) family of companies. This provides Enrich Foods and its brands with the backing of GGI’s 45-year legacy as a global leader in the origination, processing, logistics, and distribution of high-quality bulk grains and pulses as well as an established agricultural base of 5,000 producers and growers.

Enrich Foods introduced its cornerstone line of consumer products under the Great River Milling brand. This product line-up includes a variety of “better for you” specialty baking flours, grains, and breakfast cereals sourced from select U.S. farmers who share their commitment for regenerative agriculture. For more information visit www.enrich-foods.com.