Rice farming takes root in Illinois

Paddies provide respite for birds

By Karen Binder

June 27, 2018 at 1:00 pm CDT

1 of 7

Growing rice requires flooding each “pan” in a field. Blake Gerard at River Bend Rice and Cahokia Rice mostly uses a multiple inlet irrigation system that uses a pump to move water through poly pipes. Levee gates with rebar are opened to help move the water downgrade until each pan has three to four inches of water, and then gates are closed to hold the water. Those gates will be reopened at harvest to start the 36-hour process of draining the fields. Notice how slight the grade is by looking at the background.

MCCLURE, Ill. — Tired of seeing his corn drowned by heavy rains and flooding, farmer Blake Girard found a crop that loves water — rice.

With 1,175 acres of rice this season in Alexander and Union counties, Girard has 1,015 acres of long-grain rice for River Bend Rice Farms, 160 acres of high-protein rice for Cahokia Rice. This acreage also includes some seed rice.

He’s also farming upwards of 1,500 acres of soybeans as his rotation crop with his rice fields and uses cereal rye as his cover crop.

While the water is key to the plant’s growth, it also serves as natural weed control. He also will have a migrant crew walk the seed rice fields. Other sustainability benefits include wildlife habitat for birds, small mammals and all kinds of snakes and frogs.

These fields will stay flooded until around Aug. 20, when the two to three-week draining process begins. Harvest typically takes place in late September.

“I think it’s a fascinating process, and it’s a very beautiful crop in my eye,” Gerard said.