Delta Blues
Ruleville, Mississippi
Delta Blues Rice is grown, artisan milled, and packaged in small batches on a multi-generational family farm that has been operating in the Mississippi Delta for over 90 years. Our rich soil has given birth to both agriculture and the Blues, feeding both the body and the soul of our country. Our rice is not your average rice, and its flavor is far superior to your typical grocery brand. Because we use only one variety of rice, the flavor is rich and consistent. We are truly a farm to table operation. We oversee and carryout each step in the farming, milling, and packaging operation. At the beginning of each year, we select the best rice variety and plant seed rice that we have grown and stored over the winter. Our seed meets the highest industry standards and is identity preserved. During the growing season, we utilize farming practices that help to conserve our water and soil resources while also growing a healthy crop. In the fall , we harvest the rice and store it for milling. We mill our rice to order in small batches to ensure a quality product.
HOW WE BEGAN
The legacy of farming for the Arants of Ruleville, Mississippi, began in 1924 when Newton W. Carver moved to the Alva community in Montgomery County. Farming in the Delta during these times was extremely difficult. Swamp land had to be drained and forest land had to be cleared to make the land suitable for farming. Virtually all of this work was done with mule and human power because little mechanized equipment was available. Many accounts say the swamp areas were full of snakes, cougars, and bears. One area neighboring the Arant land was aptly given the name Booger Den because, as one local said, “That’s where all of them boogers den up!” The hard work was well worth the efforts as the land yielded rich soil perfect for row crops.The second generation of farming began when Hugh M. Arant, Sr., married Kathryn Carver, daughter of Newton W. Carver, in December 1949. Hugh, Sr., began his farm with 300 acres that Kathryn inherited from her father. They mostly grew cotton at this time. Over the years the farm grew substantially and they began to change the crop mix by growing wheat, rice, soybeans, and catfish.
Hugh, Jr., and David, Sr., continued building Arant Acres in the third generation. They worked together to improve the land and implement conservation practices by forming the ground with dirt moving equipment and installing water recovery systems. These improvements helped to irrigate the crops efficiently and prevent soil erosion. They also continued to diversify their operation by adding corn into the crop rotation.
After working as a civil engineer in Jackson, Mississippi, David, Jr., decided to return to the farm as a fourth generation farmer to carry on the legacy of his family. It is during this time that Delta Blues Rice began. For decades, the Arants processed their rice using a mill made by the Engelberg Huller Company out of Syracuse, New York. They mainly milled it to give to friends and family. After years of requests and compliments, the Arants decided to begin this company to provide quality homegrown rice to the broader community. The rice is now milled using modern equipment to deliver a superior product from their farm to your table.
