Rice Industry Recognizes Industry Leaders

Every year at the Annual Rice Awards Luncheon Rice Farming bestows three awards: Rice Farmer of the Year, the Rice Industry Award, and the Rice Lifetime Achievement Award. These annual recognitions, co-sponsored by Horizon Ag and USA Rice, highlight some of the most positive achievements associated with the U.S. rice industry.

The 2022 Rice Farmer of the Year is Paul O. Johnson, from Welsh, Louisiana. Paul grew up surrounded by rice fields, waterfowl, and people who love the farming lifestyle as much as he does. He planted his first crop in 1996 and today is considered the premier producer of Jazzman rice in southwest Louisiana. He also is an excellent steward of the land and is considered a leader when it comes to management of natural resources and wildlife.

“We look for ways to make the rice as productive as it can be,” says Paul. “We do whatever it takes to be more efficient and benefit both the rice and waterfowl.”

Rice Industry Award winner Dr. Yeshi Wamishe grew up in Ethiopia helping out on her family’s farm, herding livestock, cutting flax, and tending to a vegetable garden. She received degrees in biology and botany from Addis Ababa University and a doctorate in plant science/plant pathology from the University of Arkansas. Yeshi’s willingness to educate agents and growers is unparalleled in the industry and Arkansas farmers have benefited greatly from her dedication and tireless efforts as she delivers reliable and correct disease diagnosis, suggests effective disease management options, and provides Extension education.

Yeshi relishes the opportunity to work in “the field,” connected to farmers, and says,” Working for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture has been like a dream come true for me to share the feelings of producers from planting to harvest.”

Dr. Karen Moldenhauer is the recipient of the 2022 Rice Lifetime Achievement Award. Originally from Iowa, where she received a Ph.D. in Plant Breeding from Iowa State University, Karen accepted a position as a rice breeder at the University of Arkansas in 1982. She is recognized by her peers in academia and industry as a tireless and innovative scientist, and, under her leadership, built the University of Arkansas rice breeding program to what it is today.

Karen always knew she would pursue higher education and have a career, something denied her mother as married woman in the 1940s. She was encouraged by her family, including her husband and two sons, and her efforts have had an impact on multiple breeding programs by incorporating a teamwork approach that included geneticists, pathologists, agronomists, and physiologists.

To learn more about the three award recipients, check out the special section included in the December issue of Rice Farming magazine.