[GailA]

These farmers are geared and have equipment to farm corn, cotton or soy bean. Arkansas is where we see rice fields.

[Vigilanteman]

I understand, but went through a similar flood in the Red River Valley of Eastern North Dakota and NW Minnesota back in 1975. The farmers who put in wild rice and other hydrophillic crops like lucerne and clover managed to salvage a growing season which otherwise would have been lost. Some of them actually hired machinery to come in from Arkansas.

On some of the more flood prone lands in NW Minnesota, the wild rice actually became a permanent part of the crop plans after that season. Prior to that, wild rice was an exotic, expensive seasonal crop. Now it has become part of the local cusine.