In May, when seedlings are about 7 inches tall and have begun to grow three to four full leaves, they are transplanted into the paddies.

“We had beef cattle at the time, and they’d be up to their knees in the water, looking like water buffalo, and I thought, ‘oh, it looks like rice paddies,’” he said, and was reminded of visiting rice farms while living in Japan. Andrus soon found, though, that the heavy soils were slow to drain after rains. With affinities for baking bread and brewing beer, they first attempted to grow wheat and barley, complemented by a small herd of cattle. The opportunity came in 2005 when he and Erica bought what they would come to call Boundbrook Farm in Ferrisburgh, Vermont. I worked on my aunt and uncle’s farm as a kid and kind of caught the bug and knew I always wanted to farm as a career, once I found a way to do it,” said Andrus. Outside his kitchen window, the outline of rice paddies is now part of the evolving story of a farmer who is learning to make the best use of the land, crafting a livelihood while supporting the natural habitat functions of low-lying plains that benefit myriad wildlife.

The farm is now working to train others in its methods to boost the production of rice in the region and create a “community of practice,” so farmers can support and advise each other on rice growing, paddy construction, and more.įERRISBURGH, Vermont - The home that farmer Erik Andrus built with his wife, Erica, sits on a slight rise above a stretch of fields that have been subjected to a variety of agricultural pursuits.

Agroecology is a sustainable agricultural technique modeled upon natural ecosystems that also applies ancient growing traditions developed by Indigenous, traditional and local communities.

One rice farm in Vermont has successfully implemented the agroecology method of “aigamo,” where ducks are introduced to rice paddies to provide weed and pest control, plus free fertilizer, to the grains.Traditionally thought of as a warm climate crop, some varieties of rice can also thrive in temperate regions, including the northeastern U.S.

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