Arkansas is the nation’s rice leader. We produce nearly half of all American rice and export more than $400 million worth of rice annually to markets across the globe. This is more than just a number. It represents thousands of family farms, millions of hours of skilled labor, and a critical piece of America’s food security and export economy.
Although current economic conditions are deeply concerning, we know Arkansas’ success depends on infrastructure that often goes unnoticed: the small airports and general aviation network that help keep our rice crops healthy, productive, and competitive.
Here’s why: Arkansas rice is grown in a unique environment. Much of it is cultivated in flooded fields, a method essential for controlling weeds and managing the crop. Once those fields are flooded, traditional ground-based farm equipment can’t navigate the landscape without sinking into the mud and damaging the crop. That’s where agricultural aviation becomes indispensable.
Roughly 62 percent of Arkansas’ pre-flood rice acreage receives aerial herbicide applications; that percentage rises significantly when you account for fungicides and fertilizers applied mid-season. Aerial applicators can cover up to 1,600 acres in a single day–three to four times faster than ground equipment. For Arkansas farmers facing time-sensitive crop management challenges, that speed is the difference between a successful harvest and significant losses.
In wet springs like 2024 and 2025, when saturated soils delayed planting and prevented ground equipment access, aerial applicators are often the only viable option for farmers to protect their investment. Without agricultural aviation, many Arkansas rice farmers simply couldn’t get their crop protection products applied in time.
The economic footprint of this infrastructure is substantial. General aviation airports in Arkansas generate more than $467 million in economic activity annually. General aviation airports are essential infrastructure that support agricultural operations. This translates to jobs for pilots, ground crews, mechanics, and support staff across rural communities where other employment opportunities can be limited.
The general aviation industry, including agricultural aviation, faces a pilot shortage. Demand is so strong that first-year aerial applicator pilots can earn over $75,000, making it a career opportunity that can support a family for young Arkansans and a strong contribution for rural economies.
The relationship between rice farming and general aviation runs deeper than immediate crop protection. Small regional airports enable the broader infrastructure that supports agricultural competitiveness. They provide emergency response, connect rural communities to essential services, support rural economic development, and offer the kind of accessible aviation infrastructure that keeps many small businesses viable outside metropolitan areas.
When we talk about supporting Arkansas agriculture, we often focus on commodity prices, trade policy, and weather. But we should also be talking about essential infrastructure that makes farming possible: the waterways and rail lines that connect Arkansas farms to markets, the small airports and skilled pilots that enable time-sensitive crop protection, and the regulatory environment that keeps agricultural aviation safe and accessible.
The Arkansas Rice Federation recognizes this interdependence. Our farmers depend on aerial applicators. Aerial applicators depend on small airports and skilled pilots. Rural communities depend on both. This is a shared interest in ensuring that the infrastructure supporting Arkansas agriculture–from field to export dock–remains viable and robust.
As global rice markets tighten and competition intensifies, Arkansas’ competitive edge isn’t just our soil, our climate, or our farmers’ skill. It’s our ability to manage risk, apply technology efficiently, and solve problems to keep our rice acres protected and productive. That ability depends on general aviation.
We should be talking about it. We should be supporting it. And we should be ensuring that policymakers–at the state and federal level–understand that protecting Arkansas agriculture means protecting the small airports and general aviation infrastructure that makes modern farming possible.
J. Kelly Robbins is executive director of Arkansas Rice Federation.
https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2026/jun/07/small-airports-matter-to-agriculture