From The Editor

BY CARROLL SMITH  EDITOR In 1978, Paul Harvey, a popular radio broadcaster, delivered a speech titled, “So God Made a Farmer,” at the Future Farmers of America convention in Kansas City, Mo. Thirty-five years later, the beloved voice of the late...

BY CARROLL SMITH EDITOR When the House and Senate finally passed the so-called fiscal cliff bill, it happened on Jan. 1, 2013, and extended what we typically refer to as the 2008 Farm Bill through Sept. 30, 2013. After the extension was...

By Carroll Smith Editor Lagniappe (lan-yap) is a Louisiana French term that means “something extra” and often unexpected – in a good way. While assembling this issue of Rice Farming, I realized that I had been the recipient of lagniappe this...

By Carroll Smith Editor From telegraphs to text messages and rotary dials to keypads, when it comes to phones, we’re not in Kansas anymore, Dorothy. Cell phones not only have revolutionized the way we communicate but also how we live our...

By Carroll Smith Editor I always look forward to attending the Mid-South Farm & Gin Show, which is held on the first weekend of March in Memphis. It’s a time to get a look at “all things ag,” visit with our...

By Carroll Smith Editor In reflecting on my travels through northern California and a good bit of its rice country, I am reminded of author Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There. Alice, a young girl, tries...

By Carroll Smith Editor Many years ago in my first career as a high school teacher, I had the opportunity to direct the senior play at the school where I taught. I was young, enthusiastic and, in my mind, could envision...