Rice Outlook Conference Underway: La. Farmers Attend
LITTLE ROCK, AR -- The number one rice-producing state rolled out the red carpet for the more than 800 attendees at this year’s USA Rice Outlook Conference with electronic welcome signs at Clinton National Airport and logo banners flying from street signs throughout the capital. And while this annual meeting is all about the rice business, the grand opening reception last night inside the Statehouse Convention Center had a laid-back atmosphere with a mixture of gaming tables such as ping-pong, air hockey, and foosball, for folks to loosen up and engage in some light-hearted competition.
The emphasis on play was a nod to today’s keynote speaker, Dr. Shimi Kang, an expert on human motivation and neuroscience, who studies stress and the impact it has on our bodies and minds. Kang talked about stress-related illness as a major public health crisis, and then showed how our bodies have the ability to naturally de-stress through play, social interaction, and downtime. With Arkansas rice farmer Mike Sullivan as a willing subject, Kang did a live demonstration on the effectiveness of these biofeedback techniques for lowering stress, and alleviating anxiety and depression.