Julie Richard
Jul 18, 2022
By Julie Richard
Julie farms with her husband, Christian (also a program alum), in Kaplan, Louisiana. She has a PhD in Human Resource Education and Agricultural Economics from Louisiana State University, and has worked for the Louisiana Farm Bureau.
MID-SOUTH RICE COUNTRY – Session II was different in a few ways. First, we have all spent a week together prior so the conversation and discussion was much more effortless. Second, the schedule for the week was full – three very different states in four days – followed by a full day of touring and a lunch with Harvester Works executives. For me, new research, new marketing, new ideas, and new methods of conservation were the key takeaways to Session II.
We explored the differences between the states visited in numerous ways. For instance, the innovative spirit of the Missouri farmers was evident immediately. They are folks whose parents and grandparents cleared the land, created a drainage system second only to the Panama Canal, leveled the ground with the foresight of rice production and the ability of this ground to produce quality rice crops, and utilized the transportation factor of the Mississippi River. The history of rice production in this area is newer than that of the other rice-producing states, however the producers’ visionary spirit is alive and visible in the conversion to furrow rice, implementation of new irrigation practices, and use of new equipment that allows for less labor and inputs. I anticipate the rice industry here will continue to thrive.
The history of rice production in the Mississippi delta region is much older than most although the issues they currently face are very current. The economic pressure from rising prices in other commodities is felt here more than anywhere else that we visited. The ability to utilize less energy, whether in the form of fuel or electricity, is evident in the current production practices. Research being conducted at Mississippi State on efficient irrigation was a prime example of the reaction to this pressure.
Arkansas, the country’s primary rice producer, is divided primarily between two big cooperatives in Stuttgart: Riceland and Producers Rice Milling. Both have formulated methods to move grain on both the domestic and international markets to the fullest extent, and while there are definite differences between the two co-ops, their end goal is the same. Sell more rice!
Rice production is surprisingly diverse in the areas we visited, considering the only thing separating them are rivers. The common denominator is the people who share a history and a resilience that gives the current industry the ability to move forward with research and development of new science that ensures rice will remain an economically viable crop for generations to come.
New Science would be a great term to describe the environment at Harvester Works including new technology utilized in the production of equipment, new measures taken to ensure efficient crop harvest, and new innovation with regard to production data collection. The group that we talked with there made it clear that they have production challenges in their sight and they’re committed to the continued success of producers by ensuring the equipment they’re manufacturing evolves along with the industry.
A final focus of this session was conservation, personified by George Dunklin and the strides he’s made to conserve both land and wildlife in his corner of Arkansas. The research and practices his team at Five Oaks have studied are key to our industry’s ongoing commitment to conservation and a testament to the drastic strides we’ve made to incorporate conservation into efficient and effective production practices.
Each stop during our week-long tour was enlightening, eye opening, and educational. I am grateful to all those who took the time to visit with us, and also to the program sponsors, American Commodity Company, John Deere, and RiceTec, who make it all possible.