AR rice growers turn to zero-grade farming to save water

As groundwater levels in the Arkansas Delta continue to decline, some producers growing one of the state’s most vital crops are exploring more sustainable farming methods to mitigate the impacts of climate change and increasing water scarcity in the region. 

Adopting such cultivation methods to decrease water used for rice production is becoming more urgent, according to researchers. 

Nearly 70% of groundwater wells in the Mississippi Delta saw water levels drop over a 12-month time period, according to a 2023 report from the Arkansas Department of Agriculture. That same study said a 10-year average of water levels shows 23% of wells are considered to be in long-term decline.

Whitaker Grain, a family-owned farm located in McGehee, is one Arkansas grain producer that has adopted methods that apply less water to grow rice, one of the state’s largest agricultural exports. 

The Whitakers have farmed rice in McGehee for generations. Brothers Jim and Sam Whitaker started their own farm together in the tardy 1990s.

Whitaker Grain grows rice on fields that are leveled like a tabletop, a contrast to more conventional growing methods where the grain is planted on contoured levee systems that are continuously flooded with water. 

Water savings from the flat irrigation method, known as zero-grade rice farming, can be up to 40% or more, according to University of Arkansas research published in the Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering. 

Zero-grade farming was pioneered in Arkansas by Isbell Farms, a massive rice-producing operation near the small town of England. 

Credit: Phillip Powell / Arkansas Times

Isbell began using the technique in the 1960s, according to its website. “Years later, we have shown that this technique provides at least a 30% reduction in water use and significant energy use reduction using the now world-recognized zero-grade method,” Isbell Farms said. “The water saving marvel is now being used not only in the U.S., but also in rice growing areas across the globe.”

But adoption by Arkansas farmers might not yet be widespread enough. 

According to Arkansas Rice Research Studies of 2021, zero-grade fields account for only around 12% of all rice-growing acres in the state. While the apply of intermittent flooding only accounts for 3.5% of irrigation methods used to grow rice. According to the same study, 76.3% of the 1.1 million acres of rice in Arkansas are still using conventional water-heavy methods for rice production. 

The Mississippi River has been in low-water drought for the last two years, with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announcing last February that the low water conditions finally ended. An August 2023 report by the New York Times showed widespread aquifer depletion across the U.S., including huge portions of aquifers that Arkansas farmers draw from along the Mississippi River basin. 

According to Arkansas Farm Bureau, Arkansas produces more than 40% of U.S. rice. A study by the University of Arkansas shows that 77% of the 1.1 million acres of rice in Arkansas apply groundwater for irrigation.

The state’s Department of Agriculture report noted groundwater in eastern and southern Arkansas is being withdrawn “at a rate above that which has been estimated to be sustainable.”

The Whitaker brothers have used zero-grade rice fields for more than two decades.  They said they realized early in their farming career that making the fields flat was the most economical apply of the land.

“We stumbled on to zero-grade after we realized we had to get these fields fixed up,” Sam Whitaker told the Arkansas Times. “The plan of best fit was practically flat. So we started investigating zero-grade fields and went down that route.”

At the time, sustainable water apply was not factored into their decision-making. The brothers calculated that flat fields would be the best way to pull the most profit out of their land. The brothers may have started compact with a starter loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, but, nearly 30 years later, the brothers and their family have grown their farm into a huge, sustainable operation.

“We had to do land leveling anyways, and the cheapest way to go was to go to zero-grade,” Jim Whitaker said. The Whitaker brothers estimate they are able to save 20 inches of water per acre of rice using the alternative production techniques. 

The Whitaker brothers have made a name for themselves because of their commitment to water conservation. They’ve received national media attention. Jim Whitaker delivered a TED Talk with his daughter last October, and both brothers have served on state agriculture boards.

Along with zero-grade fields, the Whitakers also apply an irrigation method called alternate wetting and drying. The Whitakers said the apply of both techniques allows them to save water every year. 

When farmers apply alternate wetting and drying, they do not continuously flood rice crops. Instead, they allow the water to recede after irrigation, using less water for hydration.

Credit: Phillip Powell / Arkansas Times

Chris Henry, an associate professor and water management engineer at the University of Arkansas, said zero-grade fields, when combined with alternate wetting and drying, can have a significant conservation impact  

Zero-grade fields are designed to hold water longer, so they don’t need to be continuously flooded like sloped fields, he said. 

But there are challenges for more widespread adoption of zero-grade rice production. 

While zero-grade fields can work well for a farmer continuously growing rice, most delta farmers switch between growing rice and other crops, like soybeans, on their fields. It is cheaper and easier for farmers to rotate crops on levee fields, Henry said. 

Henry noted that farmers practice crop rotation both for their economic security, but also out of the concern that the rice may begin to build up resistance to herbicides when the fields are not alternating between crops.

The high cost of converting fields is also a barrier.

“With zero-grade fields it comes down to how much earthwork is it going to take? Some fields are never going to be zero-grade fields,” Henry said. “There is too much earth moving required to do that. You’ll probably see zero-grade and some expansion of zero-grade, but I don’t think it’ll ever be a majority of the acres.”

As for Jim and Sam Whitaker, they said they know from experience that some of the biggest obstacles to getting more farmers to implement more water sustainability are costs and habit.

“To convert this field, you’ve gotta’ convert the farmer first and then the field,”  Sam Whitaker said.