Above: Mature rice, ready for harvest. Below: Lawrence and Abbey with Deputy, the family dog.
trampling stalks into the ground, smoothing the soil and depositing nitrogen to fertilize the next year’s crop. When the migratory birds have flown, rice seed is dropped by airplane into the flooded fields during April and sometimes into May. After Labor Day and throughout September, the rice is harvested with two Claas combines equipped with tracks for flotation. As co-chair of the International Promotions Committee of the United States Rice Producers Organization, Mike helped teach often-impoverished people in Central and South America how to boost nutrition by further incorporating rice in their recipes. During these trips, he realized that the same need exists in Mississippi, where people may eat enough calories but not get enough nutrients through them. Now, Two Brooks products are available all over Mississippi,
60 INVITATION OXFORD | April 2018