Bill Huffman, director of government relations for Farmers’ Rice Cooperative in Sacramento, Calif., was presented with the 2009 California Rice Industry Award. Recipients of the award are nominated and selected by the board of the California Cooperative Rice Research Foundation (CCRRF).

Huffman’s career in agriculture and the rice industry spans some 40 years. He grew up on a rice farm in Gridley, Calif., and graduated from Humboldt State University in 1967, before becoming a farm broadcaster and working in several government relations and communications positions for various organizations. He joined Farmers’ Rice Cooperative in 1984 and served as manager and vice president of communications before moving to his current position.

Huffman and his wife Sheila live in Lake Almanor, Calif., and have two sons and two daughters.