By John Lovett
Researchers with the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station were recently awarded $130,000 from Anheuser-Busch, donated through the Anheuser-Busch Foundation, to support ongoing projects ranging from rice quality and brewing applications to water stewardship and crop management.
The funding to the research arm of the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture is part of more than $200,000 in grants from Anheuser-Busch to support rice research, grower education and industry partnerships as part of its celebration of National Rice Month. Other grants were awarded to the Arkansas State University Rice Program, Ducks Unlimited and USA Rice.
Arkansas is the nation's leading rice-producing state, and Anheuser-Busch is the largest end user of rice in the United States, purchasing approximately 20 million bushels annually for its brewing operations. The company spends $700 million annually sourcing ingredients — like rice, barley and corn — from American farmers.
Anheuser-Busch states it maintains longstanding, intergenerational partnerships with 700 farmers across the country, including more than 80 rice farmers in Arkansas. One of the company’s rice mills is in Jonesboro near the Division of Agriculture’s Northeast Rice Research and Extension Center.
Source : uada.edu