August 10, 2009

This aerial view of a modern rice harvest near Stuttgart (Arkansas County) illustrates how far rice farming has developed from Arkansas County’s first rice crop, planted by W. E. Hope as an experiment in 1902. Within five years, production of the crop greatly expanded, with profits of a local rice mill exceeding $15,000. From those humble beginnings, Arkansas County has become one of the leading rice-producing areas in the world.