When asked what he is known for, Russell Ford keeps it characteristically simple.

“Russell Ford has an interest in rice,” he says.

The truth is that he actually “loves” rice and after more than four decades in the industry, he considers himself lucky for the opportunities it has brought him.

Flying low over Cambodia's Mekong River, Russell looked down on freshwater dolphins surfacing below in a tropical landscape.

He was collecting soil and water samples, assessing the potential for future rice production ― it was one of the memorable experiences during a career in rice that took him far beyond the paddocks of Australia.

Russell's interest in agriculture was sparked while helping on a school friend's family farm near Geelong, and he was also encouraged by his uncle.

After a year at teachers' college, he realised it wasn't the right path and enrolled at Longerenong Agricultural College, where practical farming became every bit as important as classroom learning.

After gaining broad, hands-on experience across Australian agriculture, including cropping, cattle and sheep, Russell and a mate went on to manage seven mixed farming properties.

Rice, however, was still waiting.

“I happened to marry the daughter of a rice farmer,” Russell said, laughing.

While courting his future wife Robin around Jerilderie, Russell helped with the rice harvests. It proved a fortunate introduction to rice, one that would grow into a lifelong passion.

In the coming years, he immersed himself in rice research, working alongside growers and scientists.

Across the decades, his work has spanned research, helping growers put new knowledge into practice, irrigation, international development and practical farm consultancy.

Along the way, he worked with and learned from many talented people, including mentors who helped shape his career.

His work in many of the world's rice-growing countries taught him that rice was about much more than farming.

“The important thing is understanding the cultural aspect, it's different everywhere,” Russell said.

Japanese consumers favour soft, polished rice, Cambodians prefer fragrant varieties, while multicultural Australia enjoys everything from jasmine to arborio and brown rice.

Wherever rice took him, it also introduced him to people, friendships formed through international conferences and the Temperate Rice Research Consortium, which remain among the treasured rewards of his career.

Much of Russell's work has involved bridging the gap between scientific research and practical farming.

“You can see what farmers need, then you work out the recipes, the equipment and the techniques that actually help them,” he said.

Rather than telling growers what they should do, Russell preferred taking them into the paddock, and his approach to leadership is equally straightforward.

“A good leader respects the people they're leading,” he said.

His contribution to agriculture and rice research has also been recognised on the international stage, through a Nuffield Scholarship and, in 2024, the Outstanding Rice Scientist Award.

Russell said he was extremely proud of these honours, but the best recognition was the quiet recognition ― seeing growers adopt ideas that work.

An experience with cancer led Russell to reflect more deeply on the way we farm, and today he is passionate about regenerative farming and producing high-quality food more sustainably.

“I'd like to help teach the next generation there's a safer way to farm where you can still make a living but do it a lot safer, and safer for the population as well,” he said.

Rising water costs and dwindling allocations continue to put pressure on growers, reinforcing Russell's belief in farming as efficiently and sustainably as possible.

That desire to leave the industry in a better place led to another challenge.

When a group of growers began exploring the idea of establishing a grower-owned rice mill, Russell was invited to contribute his experience to the vision ― that vision became Nice Rice.

“We had to improve the return to the grower, that's why it started, and we knew it was never going to make it with water prices going through the roof,” Russell said.

Today, almost 30 growers within about 150km of the mill are involved in the co-operative-style company.

Nice Rice, is now on supermarket shelves and has begun exporting to New Zealand and Japan, a significant step for the Australian grower-owned company.

Building the mill became an adventure ― arriving in more than 50 crates, accompanied by hundreds of pages of instructions.

The mill itself was sourced from Satake, a leading international rice-milling equipment company.

Today, the mill employs local people and represents another chapter in a lifetime devoted to the rice industry.

Russell and Robin are now making their home permanently on 170 acres at Barooga, close to their daughter and the rice-growing country that has shaped so much of his life.

Russell said he was looking forward to slowing down on what he calls “a great bit of dirt”, although slowing down seems a relative term.

There is a farm to run, rice to grow, a new home to build, friendships to nurture and, when time allows, fly-fishing and flying his self-built aircraft from Tocumwal.

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Sunday, 28th May 2034

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