Arkansas River Rice Mill: Black Agriculture History in the Making
Black agriculture history is taking place in the Southern region of our country as Arkansas River Rice Mill (ARRM), located in Pine Bluff, AR, is co-owned by agricultural leaders and pioneers PJ Haynie and Billy Bridgeforth. As the only Black-owned rice mill in the country, ARRM is a state-of-the-art rice mill offering premium rice products and by-products with flexible batch sizing, and various packaging solutions. ARRM is a SQF food-grade certified facility with capabilities to process organic rice along with Vegan, Kosher, and Halal certifications. Current rice varieties offered by ARRM are: enriched Long/Medium Grain White Rice, Long/Medium Brown Grain Rice, Brewers Rice, Second Heads, Rice Bran, and Rice Hulls. Co-owners Haynie and Bridgeforth exemplify their commitment to equity and social justice in U.S. agriculture and support of Black farmers through their associations with the National Black Growers Council, USDA Equity Commission Subcommittee, and various leadership positions across the agricultural sector.
Billy Bridgeforth is partner at Bridgeforth Farms, a fifth-generation farming operation in Tanner, AL. Bridgeforth Farms owns and operates more than 10,000 acres of row crops, spanning four counties in Northern Alabama, and producing cotton, corn, soybeans, wheat, sorghum, and canola. Bridgeforth advocates for Black farming and promotes agriculture to the next generation, as he is a charter member of the National Black Growers Council and serves as Chairman Emeritus of the Board of Directors.
PJ Haynie is a fifth-generation row crop farmer with farming operations in Virginia and a satellite farming operation in Arkansas. Haynie owns and operates Haynie Farms, LLC, a grain-farming business producing corn, wheat, soybeans, and canola across four counties in the Northern Neck of Virginia. Haynie and his family also own and operate a transportation company specializing in food-grade liquid bulk and dry bulk transportation, a timber harvesting company, as well as a landscaping and excavating company. Haynie currently serves as Board Chairman of the National Black Growers Council.
For more information, visit:
Arkansas River Rice www.arkansasriverrice.com
Haynie Farms www.hayniefarms.com
Bridgeforth Farms www.bridgeforthfarms.com
