Jackson County farmer touts Riceland Carbon Ready Program, water savings

Jennifer James wasn’t sure what she wanted to do when she began college. She studied business and specifically agriculture business and that made sense. Her family had farmed for three generations prior to her.

Eventually, the family farm in Jackson County lured her into the family business. On their sprawling 6,200 acres, the family grows rice, soybeans and corn primarily. For several years part of her focus on the farm has been sustainability and resource conservation, she told Talk Business & Politics.

A program, the Riceland Carbon Ready Program, stood out to her. A couple of years ago, they joined the program and it has provided financial benefits for their sustainability and conservation efforts.

“We were one of the first farms in the program,” she said. “It was a natural fit. I feel like Riceland has been a leader in this space.”

Several years ago, a trend began to develop. Consumers wanted to know where their food was coming from and how it was produced. A lot of data would have to be collected in order to make that process transparent and meaningful, said Riceland Foods Vice President of Government Affairs and Sustainability Adam Shea.

After researching an approach, Riceland partnered with Arva Intelligence, a data collection and analytics firm, to “harvest” agricultural data and turn it into something farmers could use to improve crop performance and add an income stream through improved sustainability efforts. In 2022, the Riceland Carbon Ready Program was born. Corporations buy carbon off-sets as a part of improving their individual company’s carbon footprint. The first year about $300,000 was distributed to participating farmers.

That total ballooned 13-fold as Riceland Foods distributed more than $4 million to its farmer-members enrolled last year. Riceland farmer-members enrolled in the program tracked key data points, such as tillage method, irrigation, and nutrient management, to showcase how climate smart practices impact sustainable metrics.

Riceland President and Chief Executive Officer Kevin McGilton said he’s excited about the program’s 2023 results and what it means for the cooperative’s membership.

“Over a decade of learning and planning went into positioning the cooperative with the right people and partners to build Riceland’s Carbon Ready Program. Thanks to the innovative data captured through the Riceland-Arva Intelligence partnership, our farmer-members are not only utilizing sustainable practices but are also rewarded for them,” McGilton said. “Through this program, sustainability is no longer a buzzword; it’s a driver of innovation in agriculture, creating new opportunities and a brighter future for Riceland members and customers.”

Over 138,000 tons of CO2 emission reductions resulted from the program. About 24.1 billion gallons of water were saved through irrigation management practices like alternate wetting and drying (AWD), multi-inlet rice irrigation (MIRI), furrow irrigated rice and zero grade precision leveling. Nearly 69,000 acres of rice fields were utilized as waterfowl habitat in the off-season as a result of the sustainability efforts.

Shea said the success of the program comes from focusing on farmers who implement and maintain climate-smart practices.

Funding for the program was provided from six companies in the consumer-packaged goods (CPG) and retail space that purchase rice from the cooperative. The investment in the program allows Riceland’s CPG and retail partners to make Scope 3 GHG emission reductions claims as part of their overall sustainability goals.

“We understand from first-hand experience that what farmers create is their own, and they deserve to know their data is protected and respected,” said Arva’s Director of Communications John McEntire. “After all, we are Riceland members ourselves just 10 miles outside of Stuttgart, and we share Riceland’s mission of serving their growers and our neighbors. Partnerships like Carbon Ready are so important because we all can go so much further together — from creating environmental impact, driving value to the farm, and delivering sustainability solutions to the supply chain.”

In 2020, the cooperative and its farmer-members set a goal to reduce water usage in rice production by 250 billion gallons by 2025. The program has improved the data collection process for tracking progress toward that goal. To date, about 200 billion gallons has been saved, or about 80% of the goal.
James said sustainability efforts have gone beyond her own farm. She was chair of the U.S. Rice Sustainability Committee. She also is on the Arkansas Rice Farmers Board.

How would she pitch this program to other farmers?

“It will give you the ability to monetize your sustainability efforts,” she said. “It will help you to understand the measures and practices and what they look like on your farm. It will help you to set and reach your goals.”