Ryan Sullivan grew up on Florenden Farms, outside Burdette, Arkansas, in the northeast corner of the state, where his family grows rice and soybeans. He got his start farming by helping his dad every summer and after school ever since he can remember, and began farming full time after graduating from Arkansas State University in 2015. He, his dad, his uncle, and his cousin grow 6,800 acres of rice in Arkansas, the country’s number one rice-producing state.

Ryan loves working on his family’s farm and being surrounded by people who care about the products they produce because they want them to be safe for their families, too. “Every farmer I know is planning for their family to be able to carry on the farm in the future, and has spent their life trying to take care of the land and water to conserve it for future generations.”

While they may be conservative when it comes to natural resources, today’s American rice farmers are some of the most progressive people you’ll ever meet. They are constantly working to improve their operations to be the most efficient, sustainable, and environmentally friendly in the whole world. As Ryan says, “When you’re in the grocery store looking for a sustainably sourced product, look no further than U.S.-grown rice.”