McNEESE STATE UNIVERSITY
The McNeese State University farm is growing a little rice.
McNeese, the LSU Agricultural Center and Jefferson Davis Rice Growers have joined forces to research varieties of rice that grow well in Southwest Louisiana. They are looking into fertility, disease management and insect control.
The McNeese farm is part of the Harold and Pearl Dripps School of Agricultural Sciences in the College of Agricultural Sciences.
Jefferson Davis Rice Growers gave $1,000 to help the small rice field get started and have pledged up to $5,000 over the next few years.
“It’s critically important for students to see this research and to see how it fits into their plans for the future,” said Jimmy Hoppe, a rice farmer from Jefferson Davis Parish.
Dr. Ronnie Levy from the LSU Agricultural Center was on hand to discuss the rice plant with students from Dr. Chung’s Plant Science class.
