On a ridge above the Arkansas River Valley, a multigenerational farm is turning rice into inspiration with the help of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). At Ralston Family Farms, led by Tim and Robin Ralston, stewardship and innovation are woven into everyday decisions, from how fields are leveled to how the by-products of milling are repurposed. 

     Three generations work side by side on the farm. Their son, Matthew, has taken on major operational responsibilities, while his wife Brittany keeps records and helps tell the farm’s story. Daughters Ashley and Jennifer contribute across the mill, manage certifications, and conduct outreach. Every family member plays a role that keeps the farm resilient and future focused. 

     Arkansas is the nation’s number one rice producer and has been the state’s signature crop for more than 50 years, a point of pride the Ralstons live and share every season. Decades of experience with cattle and row crops taught them which fields and soils could thrive with rice. NRCS support, specifically through the Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP), helped accelerate field leveling and make the transition economical 

     The Ralston’s success is driven by clear goals on the farming side and practical guidance from conservation experts at NRCS. The process of listening, trying, measuring and adjusting is now a norm for the farm. Technical expertise is shared in plain language, producers give real-time feedback, and programs are tailored to how work flows on a farm. 

      For the Ralstons, regenerative agriculture begins with economics and ends with healthy soils and a resilient landscape. They focus on maintaining soil that holds moisture, nutrients, and microbial life. Water management ties the system together with alternate wetting and drying (AWD), allowing water to recede several inches before reflooding. This practice strengthens root systems and reduces the total amount of water applied to the crop. 

     The Ralstons watched beneficial insects return and bird populations grow due to regenerative practices. The Ralstons mentioned their excitement when they started to see bald and golden eagles on their land. 

     “Regenerative farming is taking care of the land,” Tim said. “Seeing eagles and insects on our land is a sign that habitat is healing and improving right where food is grown.” 

     Conservation and stewardship continue at the mill where the rice they grow is processed and packaged. Rough rice enters pre-cleaning, husks are removed and sold for poultry bedding, and bran from white-rice milling becomes valuable cattle feed. It’s a closed-loop mindset: nothing wasted if it could nourish animals, manage litter, or return value somewhere on the farm. 

     Across the story of Ralston Family Farms runs a simple but critical thread: NRCS plus producers equals durable and lasting change. The Ralstons emphasized how programs like EQIP presented new opportunities for the farm. They advocated for bundling practices to improve soil health, and urged clearer education so busy farmers can implement practices with confidence.      

     “We’re excited about USDA’s regenerative push,” Tim said. “Bundle the practices, simplify the paperwork, add education, and you’ll see adoption take off. If you help us include managed grazing, fencing or the technology to rotate cattle, the soil will repay it many times over.”

     As Arkansas looks ahead, the Ralston family offers a hopeful blueprint of conserving water without sacrificing yield, diversifying covers to feed the soil, using communication to translate science into everyday choices, and treating every grain of rice and its by-product as part of the complete and circular system. With NRCS empowering farmers to lead the way, the next decade of rice in Arkansas can be more resilient, more profitable, and more effective, which is the future that families like the Ralstons are planting.