I was able to tour a rice farm in Lavaca County last week while in Edna, Texas for a Regional Water Planning Group meeting. L.G. Raun (one of the planning group members) gave me a full tour of his operation including the fields, pumps houses and irrigation canals. Then I got to ride on a state of the art combine. It was so serene in the combine as it rumbled over the fields at about 1.5 mph. These birds are waiting for the grasshoppers in the rice as it is being harvested. L.G. told me that the harvest this year was a record breaker. The lack of rain and abundant sunshine meant the rice was healthy, happy and pest free. Of course, they irrigate the fields with water brought up by huge well pumps. I gained a lot of respect for the work that farmers do and think it is a shame that they operate with such small profit margins. The trip also made me think about how important spending that extra dollar or two is to ensure that organic agriculture continues to grow and thrive.
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