2022 Rice Researcher Of The Year

   Dr. Michele Reba, a research hydrologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, has been named the 2022 Rice Researcher of the Year at the 25th Annual National Conservation Systems Cotton and Rice Conference, the Delta States Irrigation Conference, the Southern Corn and Soybean Conference and the Southern Precision Ag Conference.

   Reba earned her Ph.D. in Civil Engineering at the University of Idaho, a MS in Forest Engineering and Civil Engineering at Oregon State University and a BS in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Michigan.

   Reba leads the Delta Water Management Research Unit located on campus at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, Arkansas.

   In 2011, Reba became the founding scientist for what is now the USDA- ARS Delta Water Management Research Unit (DWMRU) in Jonesboro, Arkansas. She manages research projects in rice, cotton, soybean and peanut.

   Reba’s leadership in investigating field-scale Alternate Wetting and Drying techniques for rice production has shown reduced water use and greenhouse gas emissions. She was an integral part of the team responsible for the first carbon offset protocol in the world to measure, monitor, and report and verify GHG emission reductions from rice production. Reba and her colleagues employed sophisticated and novel field measurement techniques to establish an extensive edge-of- field and in-stream network as part of Conservation Effects Assessment Project to quantify the impact of crop production practices on water quality. These networks allow for testing of practices at the field and farm scale with commercial farmers.

   Reba has investigated the potential for artificially adding water to the declining Mississippi River Valley Alluvial Aquifer, which is the primary irrigation source for rice production in the region. Unlike previous recharge efforts, she is focusing her research on the potential of using surface water storage systems as source water.

   Through her willingness to participate in the cooperative research, Reba has energized scientists at: Arkansas State University, the University of Arkansas, the University of California-Davis, and Louisiana State University. She has mentored numerous ASU graduate students by serving on thesis and dissertation committees. She also serves on multiple regional and national committees including, the Steering committee for development of US Sustainable Rice Certification, and the H2O Initiative, a regional collaboration of water resources professionals working to improve water management.

   In 2018 Reba received the Distinguished Rice Research and/or Education Team Award for “Advancing irrigation management practices to achieve sustainable intensification outcomes” by the Rice Technical Working Group.  She also received the Educational Aids Blue Ribbon Competition for “Innovation in Rice Will Help Reduce Aquifer Decline” by the American Society of Soil and Water Conservation Service for the Rice Water Management Team. ∆