Rice Leadership Session II: Where There’s A Will, There’s A Way

By Courteney Wall-Sisk
A fifth-generation farmer from Paragould, Arkansas, Courteney attended Arkansas State University where she got a bachelor's degree in agribusiness and a master’s in agriculture.  She currently works for the University of Arkansas, Division of Agriculture as an agriculture county extension agent in the place she grew up and farms as part of her family operation.

MID-SOUTH RICE COUNTRY – Session II of the Rice Leadership Program started with a bit of rough seas when a classmate had luggage stolen and someone joining the group was rerouted to Memphis, but after that, it was smooth sailing.  Our tours concentrated on rice production in Missouri, Mississippi, Illinois, and Arkansas, where my two classmates from Arkansas and I got the chance to lean into showing off our state.

We started the session by staying at the beautiful Elk Chute Lodge where we had dinner with Missouri Leadership Alumni, and met, among others, our hosts for the following day, David and Mike Martin, when we toured their land leveling company and the family's rice mill.  We also visited Tanner Seed Company and talked with Zach Tanner and Randy Ouzts of Nutrien Ag Solutions.  Next, we headed over to the Missouri Rice Research Farm to speak with Mike Johnson and Chase Floyd on how their research operation works differently from the University of Arkansas or Louisiana State University, in that it is farmer­-backed.  In Hornersville, Rance Daniels showed us his operation’s drainage ditches and explained how implemental they are to farming in this area, and producer Zachary Worrell led a discussion on bin storage with moisture sensors and using drones as a spray alternative when airplanes were not as efficient.

At dinner that night with Dr. Tim Walker, CEO of HorizonAg, the main topic was the rice industry's imports and exports, and focusing on how to import less and determining the U.S.-preferred varieties that will grow export markets.  This seemed like a simple talk at the time but became a repeated conversation throughout the trip.

On Tuesday, we visited a wind turbine/rice farm operation in Dundee, Mississippi.  Owner Abbott Myers explained his decision to put turbines on his farm as a way to diversify the operation.  Observing how the turbines are constructed and function was fascinating.  From a distance, they seem to move slowly, but we learned the tip of the blade is going close to 700 mph!  Not far away, at the Shelby Air Service, pilot Ike Brunetti shared another view of turbines, this one from an ag aviation perspective, pointing up two very distinct opinions on one subject within the same region.  Like so much in agriculture, this program has opened our eyes to the individuality of farming and the challenge we have of incorporating all those different needs into one cohesive philosophy that works for the betterment of the rice industry.

Austin Davis, who farms near Shaw, Mississippi, hosted us for lunch and a farm tour.  Then we went to the Mississippi State University Delta Research and Extension Center to meet with Dr. Jason Bond and Dr. Drew Ghoulson and tour their research plots with the characteristic heavy clay soil texture specific to the Delta region.  Their work has been tremendously beneficial to farmers in that area.  We ended our evening with the Mississippi Leadership Alumni at Doe's Eat Place in Greenville, where there is no such thing as a small steak!

Wednesday and Thursday was Arkansas' time to shine.  We started out at Isbell Farms in England, visiting with a family that has innovation at the core of their operation.  Chris Isbell started by doing the unheard of and growing Koshikari, an heirloom Japanese, short grain variety, on U.S. soil.  It’s now used in the production of domestic saké and we got to sample some.  To my mind, the best tasting variety was fittingly named “Dreamer.”  The family spirit of ingenuity continues as Isbell’s son and son-in-law are experimenting with minnows in rice fields, a modern adaptation of a centuries-old fish-rice farming practice that they plan to market as a protein source for pet treats.

Wednesday’s lunch was hosted by producer Clint Roth and his wife, Lana.  We spent more time with Lana at Producers Rice Mill where she is the general counsel.  When we pulled up to Producers Rice Mill headquarters in Stuttgart, it was clear we were driving into the middle of the mill's operation, literally at the heart of what was happening there.  Producers CEO Keith Glover gave us a tour of the facility, complete from rough rice to finished product.

Next, we met with Kevin McGilton, Ben Noble, and Adam Shea at Riceland Foods to talk about the co-op’s sustainability efforts as well as rice market and industry challenges, from both the local and global perspectives.  And, at Five Oaks Lodge and Ag Education Center, Ronnie Helms and George Dunklin shared information on all the conservation efforts they are working on for waterfowl, including their Green Tree Research that had been installed to mimic the way wooded areas around the state once appeared.

More Arkansas on Thursday as we met with Sidney Robnett to tour his farm followed by a stop at the University of Arkansas Rice Research and Extension Center where Drs. Xueyan Sha, Jarrod Hardke, and Alton Johnson led a discussion on research conducted there. Then we went to the Arkansas Grand Prairie Museum to see examples of farm equipment used at the beginning of the rice industry in the Stuttgart area.  Seeing the evolution of the machinery and the desire to farm despite adverse conditions made the saying, “where there’s a will, there’s a way,” come to life.  I strongly believe farmers are resilient: we will wake up every morning, work hard, and under all conditions to find a way to put a seed in the ground and make a product to feed the world.

Thursday evening, we flew to Moline, Illinois, which felt like heaven due to the lack of humidity. Our final stop was the John Deere Harvester Works to see what it takes to manufacture combines, the X9's and S7's.  The streamlining and organization were admirable as they are a well-oiled machine (pardon the pun).

This session proved just as eye-opening as the first with so much to be covered in six days.  The program has proven to be like nothing I’ve experienced before, and each stop brings not only informative discussions but challenges us to broaden our perspectives to not just "me," as a farmer, but "we," as a rice farming industry.  And collectively, my classmates and I repeat often how grateful we are to the program sponsors, American Commodity Company, John Deere, RiceTec, and Supreme Rice, for providing us this level of involvement.