Olivia Groover

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Trinidad Baltzell

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Aug 5, 2024, 2:39:37 AM8/5/24

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AftonGroovers, a Tallulah business owned by Chase Noland and Kenneth Smith, donated a four-row groover to the AgCenter Northeast Research Station near St. Joseph. The equipment, valued at $25,000, is rolled across fields to create grooves.

So far, the tool has been used in row rice fields to make grooves that are 7 inches wide and 7 inches deep to carry irrigation water to the plants, said Dennis Burns, AgCenter agent and research coordinator at the station.

Row rice has been growing in popularity in northeast Louisiana as farmers look for ways to diversify their crop mixes. Unlike conventional rice, which is grown in fields that are flooded, row rice is planted on flat ground without levees and irrigated.

Afton Groovers, a Tallulah business owned by Chase Noland and Kenneth Smith, recently donated a four-row groover to the LSU AgCenter Northeast Research Station near St. Joseph. Smith, center, is pictured with the groover and AgCenter agents R.L. Frazier, left, and Dennis Burns, right. Provided photo.