not be grown outside of
Japan, Isbell obtained the
coveted seed and planted
a few acres of the variety.
He says, “It wasn’t the
easiest to grow or harvest,
but we managed. Then,
after some considerable
effort, we found a trading
company that would sell
it both here and in Japan.
When we marketed our
Koshi rice to the Japanese,
they put our family picture
on the package and the
first order sold out in two
weeks!”
Isbell Farms also grows
100 acres of Yamada
Nishiki, the world’s
premium sake rice. It’s not
suitable as table rice, but is considered to
be the best rice for making sake, according
to Isbell. He adds, “It has to be milled down
to the center of the grain in special mills;
the one we use is in Minnesota, where sake
craft breweries are springing up just like
the recent trend in craft beer. And we work
with Takara Sake in Berkeley, California,
the largest sake company in the U.S. Using
Isbell’s rice, they have earned the Gold
award for sake in this country. It’s sold
under the brand name Sho Chiku Bai Dai
Ginjo.
Being an avid reader and researcher,
Isbell is a lifelong experimenter with his
own cross varieties of rice. “We’re always
breeding for taste,” he says, “even it if takes
almost a decade for that first bite.” Another
innovative area of focus is the installation
of a new 300 kilowatt solar field consisting
of 946 solar panels hooked up to the grid.
Isbell says, “When net metering is done,
the meter runs backwards. The amount of
energy produced is subtracted from the
total electric bill. The electric coop that
Isbell Farms uses gives a penny for penny
rebate up to 11 cents per kilowatt hour.
We’re also planning a pilot plant for bio gas,
using straw to produce methane, which
goes back into the natural gas line clean.”
For Chris Isbell, the key ingredient to this
long-term recipe for success is family. At the
ceremony presenting the Arkansas Farmer
of the Year award, he accepted humbly by
saying, “We have the best crew you can
possibly imagine, and it’s our family.” Judy
Isbell, his wife of forty-four years, does all of
the bookkeeping for the farm and spends
a lot of time dispensing meals to visitors
from all around the U.S. and the far reaches
of the globe. They’ve arrived from Russia,
Japan, Uruguay, Argentina, Guatemala,
Panama, Costa Rica, and more recently,
Cuba, a country both Chris and Mark Isbell
have visited over the last few years.
Judy also helped start their local non-
traditional church, Stuttgart Harvest,
where she plays keyboard to Chris’s guitar
in the band. Chris comments, “We wanted
to build a safe place for people to worship
God, a place to attract those who may have
stopped going to church for one reason or
another. We simply welcome everyone to
be part of our Christian community and
contribute, if they like, to a number of
outreach programs we maintain.”
Son Mark handles the business side of
the operation, making sure the farm stays
in compliance with things. Dad Chris notes,
“His contribution
to all aspects of the
business is invaluable.
And since he has a
master’s degree in
technical writing and
teaches speech and
writing online at the
University of Arkansas,
we know that our
website information
and correspondence
are going to be correct,
clear, and eminently
readable.”
Both Mark Isbell
and Jeremy Jones,
Chris and Judy’s
son-in-law, are
graduates of the Rice
Leadership Council
and travel extensively,
contributing their
expertise and
leadership to a
number of industry
associations. Jeremy
manages much of the
irrigation of the fields
during the growing
season and oversees
the drying and storage
of the rice after
harvest. He is currently
serving on the Asia Trade
Policy Subcommittee
and the Sustainability
Committee. Daughter
Whitney Isbell Jones
oversees the Children’s
Ministry at Lonoke Baptist
Church.
Nephew Shane Isbell
has been working on the
farm since he was fourteen
and took over his father’s
sickle business, specializing in cutting lodged or
fallen rice. Shane and his
wife, Lisa, have continued
to operate this enterprise
for twenty-four years, now
with the help of their sons,
Chris Isbell adds, “Our three full-time
employees, Carl Hill, Oscar Gonzalez, and
Emilio Cham, are essential contributors to
daily farm operations. Carl has been with us
since the early 1980s and is considered an
honorary family member. He plays an integral role in crop irrigation, land preparation,
Nominator Josh Cunningham and Chris Isbell.
See ISBELL, Page 80
From your friends at
www.agheritagefcs.comFollow Us on Social Media @AgHeritageFCS
2019 Swisher Sweets/Arkansas State
Winner, Farmer of the Year
Isbell Family Farms
