Financing Purchase Of Climate-Friendly Rice

McKaskle Family Farm is a regenerative grain farm—and owner/operators of the Braggadocio Rice Mill—in the “bootheel” of Missouri. The family has been leading the way toward the production of Organic and regenerative crops since the 1990s. For decades, they produced USDA Certified Organic cotton, popcorn, Basmati and Long Grain rice, soybeans, corn, cotton, and oats on the land. This family enterprise currently has members of the family’s 5th, 6th, and 7th generations working to keep the land, family, and economics of the farm and processing business healthy.

Use of Funds

This loan will fund the purchase of the “Climate-Friendly” rice that their Organic Braggadocio Rice Mill will need to supply the growing demand for their rice—from their expanded partnership with Chipotle Mexican Grill and other buyers.

Regenerative & Sustainable Practices

McKaskle Family Farm has been committed to environmentally-sound, Organic, and regenerative farming since the 1990s. Currently, they work with third-party consultants, AgriCapture and Soil Carbon Initiative, to develop “Climate-Friendly” rice and confirm that their crops and management are having the positive ecological impacts they intend.

McKaskle Family Farm was among the first farms in the nation to be certified Organic under the USDA program. Unfortunately, 2021 was the last year McKaskle Family Farm was able to operate under their USDA Organic Certification. In 2016, new soybean varieties resistant to over-the-top application of the herbicide dicamba were introduced to the market, increasing the use of that herbicide. As one of the relatively small number of herbicides that are highly prone to volatilize (turn into a gas) [1], dicamba drift in Missouri and throughout the country has been well documented, with thousands of dicamba related plant injury cases under investigation by State Departments of Agriculture as early as 2017 [2].

After several years of battling the drifting herbicide—and finding their Organic soybean plants unable to reach 2” in height—the McKaskles felt they had no choice but to also plant dicamba-resistant soybeans, losing their Organic certification. They have now shifted their efforts toward developing “Climate-Friendly” rice—a rice production system that has been proven to reduce water usage, improve biodiversity, and regenerate the natural resources of their land.

McKaskle’s “Climate-Friendly” 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.

The McKaskle family has shown over many decades—through thick and thin—their unwavering dedication to sustainable, Organic, regenerative agriculture. We’re excited and honored to help them expand their production to the national stage. We hope you’ll join us.