Spotlight Series
Global Leader in Sustainable Rice Production Drives Progress in Arkansas
From the South Pacific to Southern Asia to the Midwestern United States, Dr. Merle Anders has dedicated his life and more than four decades of research to supporting farmers building more sustainable agricultural systems.
Born and raised in Iowa, Dr. Anders spent several years serving as an agronomist in the South Pacific after graduating from Iowa State University. He returned to the States to pursue graduate degrees in Agronomy, worked with the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics in India and later worked for nearly 15 years as a Rice Systems Agronomist with the University of Arkansas. “We have to work to embed sustainability in the greater farming framework. Whether I'm working with subsistence farmers in Asia and Africa or commercial operations here in the U.S., sustainability is important everywhere,” Dr. Anders says as he reflects on his multi-national career.
Dr. Anders’ career has spanned not only decades, but also geographies, cultures and continents. In his retirement, Dr. Anders has focused on getting back to working one on one with farmers. By connecting with farmers and consulting for rice- based organizations, Dr. Anders aims to scale sustainable farming practices and improve environmental outcomes across the U.S. rice production industry.
“Dr. Anders has dedicated his life to crop research and is a highly respected researcher around the world. He has been a huge influence in my operation and has helped me become more sustainable,” shares Jim Whitaker, a rice farmer in McGehee Arkansas, when reflecting on the impact of working with Dr. Anders as a trusted adviser. “What has always drawn me to Merle, is his ability to think outside the box. My agricultural operation’s success is partly due to his dedication for a more sustainable way of farming.”
Dr. Merle Anders
Casscoe, Arkansas
“The Fieldprint Platform allows me to sit down with farmers to show them where they improved. Documenting their data is part of the solution and, perhaps most importantly, it is an awareness creator for farmers to realize the impacts of their practices from year to year.”
Dr. Merle Anders
Independent Consultant
Dr. Anders’ efforts to improve the sustainability of commodity rice production are grounded in thorough research and oriented toward practical solutions. Throughout his many years of field research, Dr. Anders has demonstrated improved irrigation water use efficiency, control of greenhouse gas emissions, improved carbon sequestration in soils, and elimination of arsenic from rice grain, all possible while maintaining sufficient inputs to realize full yield potential of rice cultivars. Furthermore, he has demonstrated improved soil health and carbon sequestration through no-till and minimum soil tillage practices.
Armed with his breadth of research insights and international perspectives, Dr. Anders works closely with industry leaders to help farmers think smarter and more efficiently about conservation practices. “Dr. Anders not only has the knowledge of an amazing scientist, he also has a way of taking his scientific information and presenting it in a way that is understandable and relates to the everyday farmer,” shares Mike Sullivan, a farmer in Burdette, Arkansas.
In his work with the USA Rice-Ducks Unlimited Rice Stewardship Partnership, a Continuous Improvement Project led by a coalition of Field to Market members, he helps rice growing operations across four rice-producing states develop and execute their conservation plans and teach techniques for water saving practices. Merle works alongside these growers to help them enter their field level data into the Fieldprint® Platform. “The Fieldprint Platform allows me to sit down with farmers to show them where they improved,” Dr. Anders shares. “Documenting their data is part of the solution and, perhaps most importantly, it is an awareness creator for farmers to realize the impacts of their practices from year to year.”
Dr. Anders defines himself as a ‘systems agronomist.’ “I am not an agronomist for one specific crop,” he explains. “I am always striving to consider groups of crops and to increase farmer awareness of how rice interacts with other crops, with the environment and with society as a whole.” This systems-based approach allows Dr. Anders to bring together comprehensive agronomic practices with real value for rice producers to improve grain yield and quality while addressing holistic production issues.
From working with subsistence farming communities abroad to working one on one with growers in Arkansas, Dr. Anders has truly made a global impact on the uptake of sustainable agricultural solutions as a trusted adviser. As he thinks about future ahead, Dr. Anders shares, “Farmers are looking toward change. We need to embed sustainability into our whole agricultural system.”
"We can always do research, but we need to orient that research toward getting practices implemented on the ground. That takes building relationships and de-risking new conservation techniques.”
Dr. Merle Anders
Casscoe, Arkansas
