NEW YORK (June 17, 2009)—Last month, a group of Texas farmers traveled more than 2,000 miles to New York City to meet with urban reporters and talk about the importance of our rural communities. As it turns out, these farmers weren't as far away from home as they might have thought.
Among the group was Linda Raun, a rice farmer from the Gulf Coast of Texas whose very own rice was sitting right under her nose. Though miles away from her farm, Raun discovered that her product was sold right around the corner at a Whole Foods grocery store in New York City's Union Square. Raun had made the long trip to New York, and so, it seems, had her rice.
"I know that our rice is distributed nationally, but it's still neat to come to a city like New York and see the fruits of your labor," said Raun. "When I'm out on the farm and there's not another person in sight, it's easy to forget that our rice will ultimately end up on grocery store shelves."
Raun and her husband L.G. operate a 2,000-acre farm in El Campo, Texas—a farm that has been in L.G.'s family for more than three generations. While the majority of the Raun's production is conventional rice, their prize possession is organic jasmine rice. Unlike
| Considered the premium rice of choice in Thailand, the poetically named Jasmine Rice is also referred to as 'fragrant rice' due to its floral aroma and flavor. L.G. Raun, a third generation rice farmer, cultivates our Organic Jasmine Rice in the fertile plains of the Texas Gulf Coast. Unlike most brown rice that becomes chewy when cooked, this long-grain brown rice is distinguished by its moist and tender texture. It contains 10% rice bran that gives the rice a light tan color and an oat-like flavor. Use in your favorite pilaf, soup and salad recipes.
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the conventional rice, which they sell to the commercial market, the Rauns package the organic jasmine rice themselves under the family-name brand Lowell Farms.
"The organic rice is somewhat of a niche market for us," Raun explained. "I call it our little pet project because I literally plant, harvest, package, and distribute the rice myself."
But it's her "little pet project" that has earned the Lowell Farms brand a contract with Whole Foods Market—the popular grocery store chain that specializes in natural and organic foods.
The Rauns began their organic farming operation 20 years ago in an attempt to diversify their product. Little did they know that the organics market would blossom to the level it has today. According to the Organic Trade Association (OTA), U.S. organic food sales have grown between 17 and 21 percent each year since 1997.
"Organic foods is an industry that has seen enormous growth, but it's a risky one to manage on a large scale because you cannot use chemicals or fertilizers to help offset some of agriculture's biggest problems, like pest control," said Raun. "One bug can ruin an entire crop. My husband and I plant the jasmine each year, and then we pray."
Inside of the Whole Foods in New York, the team of farmers purchased a bag of Raun's Lowell Farms rice, and told the cashier that she was looking at the very woman who grew the rice in that bag. In disbelief, the cashier exclaimed, "Really? Get outta here, no she didn't," and asked if she could see Raun's drivers license to prove the namesake.
Raun obliged and afterwards told us moments like that are the very reason she continues to farm.
"It's hard work, but it's rewarding to interact with the consumers—like a baseball player meeting his fans, albeit on a much smaller scale," she laughed. "It's a reminder that I am doing my part to help feed the world, even if I only play a small role."
