The Floods Kept Coming. He Needed to Grow a Crop That Would Thrive in Water — or to Quit.

Photo: A close up of rice growing. Photo credit: USDA / Kirsten Strough via Flickr. Public Domain. Article by Julia Rendleman for ProPublica, Molly Parker, Capitol News Illinois, and Lylee Gibbs, Saluki Local Reporting Lab. Pro Publica – September 5, 2025. Co-published with Capitol News Illinois.

On a late July morning, Blake Gerard zips across his Southern Illinois rice farm on a four-wheeler, wearing his usual USA Rice shirt and shorts that hit above the knee. It’s the only rice farm in Illinois, a place where rice never grew before. He carries rubber hip boots in his truck for when he needs to wade into the water to check or change its depth. The young rice has entered a crucial stage; […]

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