Growers in the Mississippi Delta added Mississippi State University's "Leland" rice variety to their crops this year.

Developed by scientists in the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, "Leland" is a long, slender, and translucent grain with low chalkiness, a quality characteristic preferred by growers.

Lawrence Wagner of Sumner, who, with his family runs Two Brooks Farm's rice mill, opted to grow "Leland" because of its close resemblance to Cheniere, a long-grain variety developed by the Louisiana State University AgCenter that is a parent of 'Leland.'

"With it coming from my alma mater, we were happy to give it a shot," Wagner said. "This is our first year to grow 'Leland,' and the heads look full," he said "Being able to see "Leland" in the field and trace that back to Mississippi State is important to me."

Wagner farms with his father, Mike, and sister, Abbey. He graduated from MSU in 2015 with a degree in agricultural economics, and the following year, he and his family added rice milling to their farming operation, with about 15 to 20 percent of their rice reserved for the mill.

"We grow it, move it to bins, dry it down, mill it, bag it up, and sell it," Wagner said.

Thanks to a streamlined distribution network, the Mississippi Delta-grown rice can be found in restaurants from Seattle to New York, across the Southeast and even in James Beard award-winning restaurants.

Two Brooks Farm rice, with varieties like basmati, jasmine, black, red, sushi, and arborio, is available for sale in Delta retail shops, and Wagner said the family is steadily growing their small-batch mill. Rice grits are another product they've added to the lineup.

The Wagners also grow varieties with a high amylose content, making the final product a healthier rice option with its low-glycemic index. Such forward thinking is a hallmark of the Two Brooks brand and the Wagner farming operation, both of which take ecological considerations into account when making decisions.

"We want to work with the land instead of against it," he said.

The location of their farm near Parks Bayou and along the Quiver River helps with water supply, tailwater ditches recycle water from field to field, and the flat, natural and sometimes jagged shape of their fields draws a tremendous number of waterfowl.

"Because of the all the ducks and geese that come through, we're able to scale back on the amount of nitrogen we use," he said. "They'll also eat the weed seeds and sometimes deposit weed seeds, and because they're tromping around everywhere, that helps with tillage."

Another Delta grower who chose to grow the "Leland" variety is Anthony Bland, a retired MSU Extension agent who now farms in the southern part of Tunica County. A third-generation farmer, Bland farms with his son and brother nearby, and after 20-plus years of experience helping growers, Bland believes his job is to help pass on the knowledge and love of farming while practicing smart conservation.

"We want to pass on our ties to the land; our grandfather was a farmer and landowner," Bland said.

With his brother growing hybrids nearby, Bland often tries new varieties, so trying 'Leland,' with its connection to his alma mater, was a no-brainer.

Bland also noted that the variety is resistant to broad-spectrum blast disease, a fungus-caused disease that can result in crop failure. He intends to try the variety again next year.

"Leland"s development was made possible by the support of rice check-off dollars from the Mississippi Rice Promotion Board. The rice research program, funded in part by the promotion board, conducts statewide Mississippi Rice Variety Trials and collaborates with other rice-growing states to ensure superior adaptability, yield stability, and marketability of rice varieties released for Mississippi.

'Leland,' or RU1604193, was developed as an elite conventional breeding line with high yield, superior milling quality, excellent grain quality, and resistance to broad-spectrum blast disease. Seeds were first produced in 2022 at the MAFES R.R. Foil Plant Science Research Center in Starkville.

"Leland was selected for introduction based on its yield completeness with Rex, a previous MSU release. It also has a significantly higher milling quality over other current varieties popular today," said Jim Mitchell, licensing associate in MSU's Office of Technology Management. "Another significant attribute is Leland's resistance to blast disease. It is one of only two or so varieties possessing resistance in the seed market today."

For more information on the "Leland" variety, contact Jim Mitchell, Licensing Associate, MSU Office of Technology Management, 662-325-8223.