Meet the Farmers
McKaskle Family Farm is a 3,700-acre grain farm and rice mill operated by the 5th-, 6th-, and 7th-generations of the McKaskle family in Braggadocio, Missouri. They have been at the forefront of Organic, regenerative, climate-friendly farming since the 1990s. Today, through their Braggadocio Rice Mill they process Climate-Friendly rice for distribution to top U.S. restaurants and retailers.
Steve McKaskle had just finished up earning his law degree in 1973 from the University of Mississippi when his newly-minted father-in-law, Joe Bob Coppage, asked him to, “Come home and farm.” Steve, and his wife Kaye, agreed.
“I couldn’t have been greener,” McKaskle said in an interview with AgWeb. “My father-in-law, who I loved dearly, talked us into coming back because there were no young people returning home to farm. I was 21 with no experience and 300 acres to work.”
Since that time the story of the farm has been one of innovation and endurance. Seeing opportunities to pursue his desire to farm in-sync with nature while earning a premium for crops, Steve pushed into large-scale Organic crops in the ‘90s and produced Organic cotton for Patagonia, Nike, and Levi’s.
Following the success of their expansion into cotton, Steve and the family started to experiment with Organic rice production. Then Organic popcorn. Once operations were settled, Steve himself took to the pavement to knock on doors and shake hands of shop owners to get their product on the shelves.
In 2016, McKaskle Family Farm opened the doors on their rice processing plant, the Braggadocio Rice Mill.
Surviving devastating tornadoes, crop loss to fire, and even cancer, Steve and the McKaskle family have proven time and again their commitment to their farm, the regeneration of the land, and to each other. We salute their efforts and are proud to support Steve and the McKaskle family.
Regenerative & Sustainable Practices
McKaskle Family Farm has been committed to environmentally-sound, Organic, regenerative farming since the 1990s. Currently, they work with third-party consultants, AgriCapture and Soil Carbon Initiative, to confirm their management is having the positive ecological impacts they intend.
McKaskle’s system is designed to enhance soil health, promote biodiversity, maintain a healthy water cycle, and capture atmospheric carbon in the soil. Presently, the practices they’re using include:
No-till and low-till soil preparation
Year-round cover cropping
Crop rotations
Precision or drip irrigation of rice fields, instead of flooding
No pesticide use, ever
Promotion of pollinator habitat
Hedgerow vegetation management to promote biodiversity
Maintenance of Organic Certification on the rice and popcorn processing facility in order to offer Organic products purchased from growers that have been able to maintain their Organic certification
