Follow that bird!

THORNWELL, LA - Nearly 150 bird enthusiasts from 24 states, Canada, and Australia gathered here this week for the sixth annual Yellow Rails and Rice Festival (YR&RF) that has become a conservation highlight for the rice industry.  

Thornwell, officially known as the "Yellow Rail Capital of the World," is located in the heart of southwest Louisiana's rice country, and the festival brings birders together with rice farmers to showcase the role of Louisiana's working wetlands in bird conservation, while providing participants a unique venue to view the elusive Yellow Rail.

 

USA Rice Federation joined 46 other organizations in support of the event, including the Louisiana Rice Growers Association, and Hoppe Farms that provided gift bags of Louisiana-grown rice to festival participants.

 

"The Yellow Rails and Rice Festival provides a great example of the environmental and conservation role our industry plays in providing critical wildlife habitat, as does our unique partnership with Ducks Unlimited," said festival co-founder and Chairman of the Louisiana Rice Promotion Board Kevin Berken. "For the birding community to come out and see firsthand how these birds thrive with our help, it's just a wonderful opportunity to tell our story."

 

Rice's most mysterious fan

Many species of birds, mammals, amphibians, and reptiles take advantage of the wetland habitat created by rice farmers, making rice a unique agricultural crop. Winter-flooded rice fields lying along critical flyways provide food and cover resources that are vital resting and foraging habitat for migratory and wintering waterfowl.

 

It is this relationship that is the cornerstone of the rice industry's Regional Conservation Partnership Program application that has been submitted to the Natural Resources Conservation Service along with Ducks Unlimited.

 

"The festival provides a unique experience that enables birders to appreciate the close relationship of Louisiana rice farming and wildlife habitat," said Steve Arena, a birder from Boston, MA who made the trip for the second year in a row. "The pure enjoyment of observing these secretive marsh birds and the educational benefits of rice and its production make this a festival like no other."

 

An informative duck stand

The interactive Ducks Unlimited booth was a popular destination, and staff from both organizations used the opportunity to explain why "what's good for rice is good for ducks."

USA Rice also promoted social media and the USA Rice Daily as a means for FFA members to stay informed about what is going on in the rice industry, such as the groundbreaking conservation partnership between the rice industry and Ducks Unlimited.  

"It was great to see how excited the students were about conservation and the work USA Rice is doing with Ducks Unlimited," said Lydia Holmes who attended on behalf of USA Rice. "We have a lot to look forward to from the next generation of rice farmers who will be picking up the conservation torch and carrying it even further."

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