Brian Alumbaugh

Fields, Family, and Faith

The Natural State

The state of Arkansas in the USA is nicknamed the ‘natural state’ for its scenic beauty. Bordering the Mississippi river in its east and with the Ozark St. Francis and Ouachita forests in its west, Arkansas’s natural environment also encompasses mountains, caves, hot springs, and abundant wildlife. Alongside this natural beauty over 44,000 farms – 97% of them family owned, spread across 13.8 million acres to contribute US$16 billion annually to the state economy, making agriculture Arkansas’s number one industry. With almost 69,000 farmers in the state, the industry provides jobs to one in six citizens.

Brian Alumbaugh of Alumbaugh Farms in Woodruff County is one such family farmer growing 6,000 acres of Arkansas staples rice, soybeans, corn, cotton, and wheat in the state’s eastern delta.

Generation innovation

A fourth-generation farmer, Brian’s been farming as long as he can remember. This heritage doesn’t mean Brian is bound by tradition. He’s committed to innovation and has introduced new methods of farming that reduce water usage, protect soil health, and improve sustainability all the while ensuring high yields and profitability.

For example, traditional rice growing with flooding and draining is water intensive. Instead, Brian has embraced the new method of row rice farming, doing away with flooding to save both water and costs. Further improving his farm’s water efficiency, Brian also uses tailwater for irrigation as well as reservoir water. This approach recovers water draining off fields, which is often warmer than ground water and contains additional nutrients, benefitting crops as well as reducing wastage.

Decades of trust

We take it as a vote of confidence that such an experienced farmer as Brian has put his trust in our crop protection inputs for over 20 years. Our Interline herbicide controls some of the challenging glyphosate resistant weeds now threatening row crops like Brian’s rice, while our Ultra Blazer takes similar action against glyphosate resistant soybean weeds. Meanwhile, our Storm herbicide protects against broadleaf weeds and unwanted grasses among both rice and soybeans.

Growing gratitude

Looking back on his farming career, Brian can’t imagine doing anything different. Now with his own children joining him in the fields, he’s grateful for the life his fields, family, and faith have given him. With such success at his green fingertips, we’ve no doubt that Brian’s commitment to innovation and sustainability will repay that gratitude to the environment and communities around him.