Frequently Asked Questions
What crops define the Arkansas Delta farming economy?
Rice is king in Arkansas. The state grows more rice than anywhere else in the US, mostly out in the Grand Prairie and the eastern Delta counties around Stuttgart, Hazen, and De Witt. Farmers also plant massive amounts of soybeans across the Delta bottomlands, while corn and grain sorghum take up the heavier soils. You will still see cotton down in the warmer, southern Delta counties. Because the massive rice harvest perfectly aligns with the winter duck migration, the Stuttgart area has become one of the most uniquely valuable land markets in America. Buyers happily pay top dollar because the land produces serious crop income and world-class duck hunting at the exact same time.
How much does Delta farmland cost in Arkansas and what are typical cash rents?
According to recent agricultural sales data, prime Delta rice and soybean ground in the Grand Prairie counties trades for $4,000 to $7,000 per acre. Average Delta ground runs $2,500 to $4,500 per acre, depending on how well it drains and past crop yields. Cash rents for that top-tier Delta land usually hit $150 to $250 per acre annually. Out in the Delta, water infrastructure is everything. Because growing rice requires massive amounts of water, farms that already have deep wells, tailwater recovery systems, and built-up levees are worth significantly more than bare land that lacks that plumbing.
What should I know about rice farming operations in Arkansas?
Growing rice requires serious plumbing. You need massive pumping capacity, reliable water sources, high land levees to hold water on the fields all summer, and tailwater recovery systems that catch the runoff so you can pump it back onto the crops. Rice grows best on heavy clay soil that holds water like a bathtub, but that same clay is a nightmare to drive a tractor through during a wet spring. In a good year, Arkansas farmers yield 7,000 to 8,500 pounds of rice per acre. They contract the crop out to massive cooperative mills and private dryers, mostly around the Grand Prairie. If you are buying an Arkansas rice farm as an investment, checking the condition of the water pumps is just as important as checking the soil quality.
