Nearly 400 Attend Grand Opening for NE Rice Research and Extension Center
“A century of land grant innovations, including discoveries in irrigation, fertility, disease, insect and weed management, has helped Arkansas’ rice industry grow to be the largest in the nation.” — Steve Cox
By Mary Hightower – Sept. 6, 2024
Cutting the ribbon outside the new NE Rice Research and Extension Center (U of A System Division of Agriculture photo by Mary Hightower)
HARRISBURG, Ark. — “When something happens once a century, it’s pretty special.”
That’s how University of Arkansas System Trustee Steve Cox spoke of the opening of the Northeast Rice Research and Extension Center, the first new Arkansas land-grant rice research and extension center in 100 years.
Both Cox and Marvin Hare, rice farmer and former chair of the Arkansas Rice Research and Promotion Board noted that in 1923, the Arkansas Legislature gave the green light for the University of Arkansas to create what was then known as the Rice Branch Experiment Station. Today that station is the Rice Research and Extension Center near Stuttgart.
“A century of land grant innovations, including discoveries in irrigation, fertility, disease, insect and weed management, has helped Arkansas’ rice industry grow to be the largest in the nation,” Cox said. “That brings us here today. It’s time for that second wave of innovations to have a home.”
The new center, near Harrisburg, is operated by the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s research arm, the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station. The center has been conducting crop variety and production research on the 600-acre location since 2021.
Getting youth into ag
The Aug. 30 grand opening drew nearly 400 people. Keynoter for the event was Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
Sanders noted that not only is agriculture Arkansas’ largest industry, but also “it’s much bigger than that. It’s a keystone in our communities and part of our way of life. It is the very fabric of who we are.”
She praised the center for providing a means to bring young people to agriculture.
“Imagine a kid coming to this facility on a field trip and seeing farming up close for the very first time. Now imagine him a few years later, studying and researching here as a college student. And a few years after that, putting his own product on display and serving it in the kitchen,” Sanders said. “That’s what this facility offers, all under one roof.
“If we can’t get young people interested in feeding, fueling and fighting for America, we too cannot survive,” she said.
U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford talked about the importance of the center in getting the next generation interested in agriculture at a time when the average age of farmers is getting older.
He said that “as important as agriculture is to Jonesboro, the city has generationally lost that identity, that connection to agriculture,” Crawford said, “and when you drive out here, you’re reminded of how important it is it. It really underscores why that generational gap has to be closed.”
State Sen. Ron Caldwell also praised the center for its efforts on behalf of area farmers and the agriculture industry. At a meeting earlier in the day, he noted the significant increase in yields from the time his father farmed compared to today.
“This is what the extension office has done, what the research has done,” Caldwell said. “You can see the investment they put in this facility here.”
Deacue Fields, vice president of agriculture for the U of Arkansas System and head of the system’s Division of Agriculture, said “we are extremely proud of this facility and what it will do to enhance the efficiency and productivity of the agricultural industry not only in Arkansas but also nationally,” said Fields. “This facility would not exist without public/private partnerships and tons of collaboration.
“To the agricultural producers and industry stakeholders — this is your center,” he said. “It is our goal to be good stewards of the resources you’ve granted us and provide a significant return on investment.”
Fields invited supporters to make the center “a beacon of greatness for our state and our nation.”
Jean-François Meullenet, head of the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, said that “the Northeast Rice Research and Extension Center is the Division of Agriculture’s first new research and extension facility of this scale since 1979 — 45 years ago.
“Investments like the Northeast Rice Research and Extension Center are essential for driving agricultural innovation in Arkansas. We are grateful for the support of our generous industry partners in making this research center a reality, and we look forward to helping advance rice production in Northeast Arkansas,” he said.
Tim Burcham, director of the center, said “I was overjoyed with the standing room turnout for our Grand Opening! There was an electric atmosphere as soon as you entered the building, and the excitement was documented by smiling faces and jubilant conversation.
“The diversity of the attendees that included farmers, crop consultants, academics, industry professionals, lenders, and government officials, was a testament to the many ways rice fuels the Arkansas economy and enhances the social fabric of our neighborhoods,” Burcham said. “I am so proud of my staff who worked diligently to make this event a cherished memory.”
“As a farmer-owned lender, Farm Credit Mid-America is committed to investing in the future of agriculture, which is why we’ve invested in the Northeast Rice Research and Extension Center,” said Farm Credit Mid-America’s Chief Lending Officer of Agriculture Tara Durbin. “Our investment today helps prepare the next generation of farmers to meet tomorrow’s challenges. Together, we are reinforcing the foundation of agriculture and the communities that depend on it.”
Others who spoke at the opening were supporters and naming sponsors — Jim Whitaker, president of the Arkansas Rice Research and Promotion Board; Benjamin Gregory, WER Architects/CRTKL; Brad Hegeman, Nabholz Construction; Marshall Stewart, Greenway Equipment; David Smith, Windmill Rice Company; Scott Greenwalt, Nutrien Ag Solutions; Roger Pohlner, Riceland Foods; Dan Wright, Arkansas Farm Bureau Federation; Tara Durbin, Farm Credit Mid-America and Tim Walker, Horizon Ag.
About NERREC
The facility is the newest in the network of research centers and stations operated by the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, the research arm of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. Ground for the station’s main buildings was broken in May 2023.
The location was selected because of its soils and climate. The center’s silt loam soils are typical for rice production in northeastern Arkansas, which allows the division to translate research results for the region’s farmers more directly.
However, 2024 marks the third year field research has been conducted at the site.
The $18.5 million center is funded by the Division of Agriculture, with a grant from the Arkansas Rice Research and Promotion Board from Tariff Rate Quota funds from a U.S.-Columbia trade promotion agreement specifically directed to rice research.
No checkoff funds are being used in the center’s construction.
The U.S. and Colombia have a trade agreement that allows for a set amount of rice to be exported duty-free to Colombia each year. Through the Tariff Rate Quota, or TRQ, system, U.S. exporters can “rent” part of that set amount during an annual auction and avoid paying the export tariff, which is a fee that exporters have to pay to send goods to another country.
The proceeds of the auction are evenly divided between the U.S. and Colombia. In the U.S., the TRQ proceeds are allocated to the rice-producing states based on average rice production. Arkansas typically receives around 45 percent of those funds.
To learn more about the Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website. Follow us on 𝕏 at @ArkAgResearch, subscribe to the Food, Farms and Forests podcast and sign up for our monthly newsletter, the Arkansas Agricultural Research Report. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit uada.edu. Follow us on 𝕏 at @AgInArk. To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit uaex.uada.edu.
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system.
The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on five system campuses.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
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