Rice project aims to help NY farmers adapt

By Blake Jackson

A new project is underway to help New York state farmers learn how to grow rice. The project is being led by Cornell Cooperative Extension and includes two demonstration plots: one in a flooded rice paddy and one in dry conditions. Researchers are also working to identify areas in the Northeast that are suitable for rice and to survey farmers to understand their willingness and barriers to growing it. The project aims to provide farmers with a lucrative alternative to high-value crops that are vulnerable to flooding.

Rice is a potentially lucrative crop that can be grown on land that is flood-prone, and in dry conditions, as a hedge against climate change. Erik Andrus, a rice farmer in Vermont, sells brown rice for $6.50 per pound and white rice for $7.50 per pound. Some farmers in the Northeast market their rice for as much as $10 to $15 per pound.

Rice does not need flooding to grow. It is the only major crop that can take oxygen from the air and send it down through its stems to its roots in waterlogged soil. The reason rice paddies are flooded is to suppress weeds. Most plants can't really grow well in anaerobic (waterlogged) soils.

The CCE project is working to provide farmers with the information and resources they need to grow rice successfully. They have imported a harvester, planter, dryer, dehuller, and polisher from Japan to demonstrate the kinds of equipment farmers need and how to run and maintain them. The machines are available second-hand at low prices and are designed to operate on small parcels of land.

The project is also working to identify areas in the Northeast that are suitable for rice. Researchers are assessing maps that show flood risk, topography, existing land use, and more to identify the areas that are best suited to rice. They will focus on agricultural floodplains, instead of converting natural areas or wetlands into agriculture.

And they will survey farmers who grow rice, as well as farmers who do not but have flooded fields, to understand their motivations and the barriers that would prevent them from growing rice. They will also leverage these partnerships for seed production and rice processing, promoting broader adoption in the Northeast.

The CCE project is not intended to be an overnight transition. Farmers are encouraged to start by dedicating a small patch of their land to rice and gradually expand the scope of rice farming as they become more comfortable with the process.

Photo Credit: istock-digitalsoul