SIDEBAR: Rice Discovery Program teaches agriculture from field to fork
By Rebekah Hall
U of A System Division of Agriculture
Sept. 4, 2025
Fast Facts:
- Rice Discovery Program at Northeast Rice Research and Extension Center began in 2024
- Program includes on-site greenhouse, classroom, demonstration kitchen
- Combined 1,600 students, adults have participated in program over last year
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HARRISBURG, Ark. — At the Northeast Rice Research and Extension Center, the Rice Discovery Program provides hands-on agriculture education, taking students from the greenhouse to the kitchen.
Ashlyn Ussery, agriculture and natural resources educator at the Northeast Rice Research and Extension Center, or NERREC, for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, said the goal of the center’s Rice Discovery Program is to provide learning opportunities about agriculture “from the field to the fork.”
“This program is one of a kind,” Ussery said. “To have a classroom, an education-based greenhouse and a full demonstration kitchen right here in the middle of a rice field, where you can see our real farmers growing real rice, is a unique experience.”
Ussery said that when developing plans for NERREC, the Arkansas Rice Research and Promotion Board made sure the educational space was a top priority.
“Those on the board had noticed a pattern of people not knowing where their food comes from, especially young people who live right here in northeast Arkansas and are surrounded by agriculture,” Ussery said. “We grow the most rice in the United States right here, and people have no clue.
“With the new station being built, they saw a unique opportunity to bring hands-on agriculture education to the next generation,” she said. “The Division of Agriculture really took that and ran with it.”
An entire wing of the building is dedicated to education and outreach, including the greenhouse, classroom and demonstration kitchen. Since NERREC opened in 2024, Ussery said 250 students have participated in classroom activities at the station, and 320 students and adults have participated in building and farm tours. Ussery also takes the Rice Discovery Program to local events, 4-H clubs and student groups, with 1,060 individuals having participated in the program off-campus.
“We want to be a resource for our agriculture teachers, but we also really want to be a resource for our non-ag teachers,” Ussery said. “We want to reach teachers who may feel intimidated by bringing agriculture into their classroom or have no prior knowledge of agriculture topics.”
Ussery said she is also available to develop custom lessons designed around a group’s needs.
“We’re an ever-evolving resource for people in northeast Arkansas and beyond,” Ussery said. “We want to be flexible enough to reach people where they are, providing resources that involve all aspects of agriculture education.”
Interactive education
“We will start a lot of our groups out in the greenhouse to get them into the soil,” Ussery said. “For most of the year, we have a worm farm, which is a great resource to learn about composting and the foundation of agriculture, which is soil health and the different elements that plants need to grow.
“It all starts from a seed, and many students have never planted seeds, so the greenhouse is a great place for them to do just that — while also getting to see plants at different growth stages,” she said.
From the greenhouse, Ussery said students usually move into the classroom, which offers a hand-cranked rice huller, microscopes and other interactive activities.
“I tell people, ‘If we could move all of the chairs out of our classroom, I would be totally fine with that,’” Ussery said. “We do not want to be lecturing anybody — that is not what this program is. We want it to be 100 percent hands-on.
“We want them to be talking with one another, working in groups, getting their hands dirty and making a mess,” she said. “You’re not going to come and just sit and hear me talk.”
Ussery said she often starts a batch of rice in the demonstration kitchen so that when students arrive, the smell of freshly cooked rice greets them first. Students participate in rice tastings and learn about how different types of rice are used.
“We have students and adults from all walks of life who come through our doors, which sparks so many great conversations,” Ussery said. “One of the most common reactions we hear is surprise, like when someone realizes that real rice is used in Rice Krispie Treats. It can be something that simple that flips a switch.
“They’ll say, ‘Wait, I thought I didn’t even like rice!’ Comments like this can open the door to deeper conversations about what it means to be a consumer of agricultural commodities — many of which are grown right here in Arkansas,” she said.
An investment in the future
While Ussery said she is happy to teach lessons from the Rice Discovery Program at local schools or other off-site locations, “getting people out to the station provides a fuller experience of what we do.”
“Being able to actually see our farmers out of the windows of our classroom, to see those combines and those tractors and watch them working with their hands, I feel like it’s inspiring beyond just learning where your food comes from,” Ussery said.
In addition to education, the Rice Discovery Program wants to inspire students to become the next generation of agriculture leaders.
“We’re engulfed in agriculture in Arkansas, and a lot of these students want to go into agriculture but maybe don’t come from ag families,” Ussery said. “We hope that this plants something in them where they want to do that one day.
“We need people in agriculture,” she said. “We want our community to understand the importance of it. That starts with getting our children and young people to the farm, letting them experience agriculture up close, and creating space for both big and small questions. That’s really what it’s all about.
“Those conversations and hands-on experiences are what we hope leave a lasting impact,” Ussery said.
Visit the NERREC Rice Discovery Program webpage on the Cooperative Extension Service website to learn more or schedule a tour or contact Ashlyn Ussery at aussery@uada.edu. Educational activities and resources for teachers are also available on the Educational Rice Activities page.
To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on X and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu. Follow on X at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on X at @AgInArk.
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system.
The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on three campuses.
Pursuant to 7 CFR § 15.3, the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services (including employment) without regard to race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, sexual preference, pregnancy or any other legally protected status, and is an equal opportunity institution.
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Media Contact:
Rebekah Hall
rkhall@uada.edu
@RKHall_
501-671-2061