Cahokia Rice and the River: Intertwined Story of Improvement & Adaptation

Did you know that rice is grown in Southern Illinois where the Ohio River meets the Mississippi? And there's actually a rice that has been bred to deliver a higher protein content that makes it low glycemic too! 

We talk with farmer Blake Gerard of River Bend Farms about the unique challenges of growing rice, how he came to grow and market an enhanced variety of rice, and some of the ways it's grown. His operation is very different from many farms as he's right along the river... so even in a year where many Midwestern farmers have had issues of drought, the water table on his farm kept everything growing. 

We explore the intersection of food and farming and shed light on various environmental pieces that touch rice from filtering muddy river water into crystal clear water, thanks to the soils natural filtration powers. 

See photos, a video farm tour and more:  https://groundedbythefarm.com/cahokia-rice-river/ 

A post that provides definitions of some of the rice farming terms we used: https://groundedbythefarm.com/rice-farming-terms/ 

Cahokia RIce online Website  https://www.cahokiarice.com on instagram at http://instagram.com/cahokiarice  Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/cahokiarice and YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtpYayjbGdwYZXRibzMn_6A