Riceland Foods exec recognized by Sen. Boozman on the U.S. Senate floor

Riceland Foods Inc. Senior Vice-President Corporate Communications and Public Serve Bill Reed retired from the Stuttgart-based company on Monday and received a rare honor Wednesday. U.S. Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., recognized Reed, who worked for the company for 34 years, from the U.S. Senate floor.

Riceland is the largest miller and marketer of rice in the world.

“Bill is constantly looking out for the rice farmers and businesses by promoting policies to grow the industry and pushing for expanded markets. His advocacy extended beyond the boundaries of agriculture. He was always ready to lend a hand to myself or my staff on any issue important to Arkansas,” Boozman said.

Reed was a member of the company’s senior management team whose responsibilities include government affairs, public relations and the Riceland Sustainability Initiative. His interest in agriculture at a young age led him to pursue degrees in this field. Reed earned a bachelor’s degree with honors in plant and soil science from the University of Tennessee and a master’s degree in agriculture journalism from the University of Wisconsin. In 1976 he moved to the Natural State to work as a state specialist with the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service.

As a representative of Riceland, Reed served on numerous boards and trade associations including USA Rice Federation and the National Council of Farmer Cooperative.

He serves as chairman of the Associated Industries of Arkansas, vice president for agriculture of the Arkansas State Council on Economic Education, and vice chairman of the board of visitors of Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansas.