Rice threshing scene, 1932.
By Joan Frances | Photos from Fort Bend County Museum Association
Residents of Fort Bend, especially the farmers, are fortunate. Combined with mild weather and rich soil, farmers profit from a wide variety of agriculture. Cotton, sorghum, corn and cattle to name a few provide more than $300 million in annual income for the county. Rice is a profitable commodity along the southern coastal areas of Texas and Fort Bend, encompassing ten counties, and accounts for thousands of jobs.
Originating in the Pearl Valley region of China, the Chinese word for rice is the same as their word for food. Evidence dates rice domestication
from 8,200 to 13,500 years ago. Along with corn, it is the second highest grain in worldwide production. The United States is the twentieth largest exporter with Texas ranking fifth in the states and Fort Bend tenth in the counties. There are more than forty thousand varieties. In the United States, a person consumes about twenty pounds of rice a year. It is a symbol of life and fertility, explaining why it is a tradition to throw at weddings.
Rice farming, circa 1905.
Besides food, rice is used for making jewelry, art, pillows, laundry starch, paper and alcohol. The health benefits are substantial; rice contains thiamin, niacin and iron, is low in total fat, saturated fat and cholesterol, contains eight amino acids, is necessary for strong muscles, is sodium free and may help reduce heart disease and some cancers. Rice is considered an annual plant but can survive as a perennial for up to 30 years. It must grow in warm climates over 70 degrees, and planting begins in early March. Rice is grown for over 40 days in a row. Wet soil is the best for fast growth; therefore, irrigation is a must during Fort Bend’s dry season.
John Miles Frost, a native Texan, was considered to be a trailblazer in rice production. He was a self-taught businessman, learning from Judge G.H. Shley of Richmond. He earned his
room and board by working for the Judge and became a surveyor. John started his career working with his brother running the mercantile in downtown Richmond, also gaining fame through ranching and breeding Brahman cattle. In 1901, he began cultivating rice in Fort Bend between Clodine and Fulshear. Frost constructed a rice canal by damming river water to irrigate the crops. By 1910, this successful endeavor produced 80,000 bags of rice weighing between 175 to 210 pounds each. As word of his success spread through the area, farmers discovered rice could be planted on land previously used for grazing, as well as a rotation crop. Rice canals were dug and production ensued.
Rice harvesting, circa 1900.
Fort Bend does not have a rainy season, so it was difficult and expensive to keep the rice fields irrigated. Weed and pest control were other complications, but rice did increase the economy. In 1914, The Houston Chronicle recognized Frost as president and originator of the Rice Belt Irrigation Company, the most complete irrigation system in the south. By 1924, 723 acres produced a harvest of 21,500 bushels annually.
The ecosystem of the upper Texas Gulf Coast is enhanced by rice production. Resident, wintering and migrating waterfowl, shore birds and wetland wildlife species made these marshes a safe haven for animals to live and breed. The United States Department of Agriculture encourages rice production to supplement the wildlife habitat.
Today, Fort Bend harvests 7,900 acres of land producing over 55 million pounds in a five year period. With so much to gain in the conservation of natural resources by growing rice, the benefits compliment health, nature and the economy.