2022 Rice Farmer Of The Year

JONESBORO, ARKANSAS

   Paul O. Johnson, Welsh LA, has been named 2022 Rice Farmer of the Year at the 25th Annual National Conservation Systems Cotton & Rice Conference, Southern Corn & Soybean Conference, Southern Precision Ag Conference and the Delta States Irrigation Conference.

   Johnson is a rice famer in Jeff Davis and Calcasieu Parishes in Southwest Louisiana. He began farming rice in 1995. He currently farms 1700 acres of rice and assists in the field management of hunting fields for Henning Guide Service in Thornwell Louisiana. He is married to Jess and they are raising four sons, Jude, Luke, John David and Matthew Johnson has always been a leader and innovator in his farming operation. He has always produced high quality premium rice. He has an agreement with the local mills to grow most of his crop with the Clearfield Jazzman variety. This is part of his marketing plan to increase the price of his rice. It is easy to ride around the farm and smell the aromatic rice. This year he has approximately 1000 acres of the Clearfield Jazzman variety. He typically will produce a ratoon (second) crop on 90 percent of his rice acreage each year.

   Johnson will roll most of the first crop stubble after harvest to increase the yield and quality of the ratoon crop. In south Louisiana, most rice producers utilize their rice crop stubble to produce crawfish and only second crop on 40-50 percent of their rice. Johnson and his landowner Tom Henning do not raise crawfish on the farm. After harvest, they concentrate on management of the stubble of the other 4,000 planted (planted and rotational) acres for production of high quality wildlife habitat for duck and goose hunting for Henning’s Guide Service at Thornwell Oaks Hunting Lodge.

   Johnson has guided duck and goose hunters for years but has recently retired from guiding to be able to concentrate on working on the farm to improve the wildlife habitat. He has worked with Ducks Unlimited and the USA Rice Federation in the Rice Stewardship Partnership. 

   Through the Rice Stewardship program, he was approved to move forward with his plant to improve his operation for both wildlife habitat and rice production.

   Johnson also works with the local National Resource Conservation Service. He participates in the Gulf Coast Water and Wildlife RCPP. 

   This has helped in three different practices on the farm. It provides late winter waterfowl habitat, reduces the risk of excess nutrient flow into surface waters and helps evaluate irrigation pumps on the farm. This helps to improve irrigation efficiency and reduce pumping costs.

   Johnson has always worked closely with researchers, extension agents, seed, fertilizer and chemical dealers in conducting research and demonstrating new technology. He is a member of the following organizations: Jeff Davis Rice Growers Assn., Louisiana Rice Growers Assn., USA Rice Foundation, Jeff Davis Farm Bureau, Jeff Davis Parish Soil Conservation Committee, RiceTec Advisory Committee, and is a USA Rice Board Member. ∆