Migratory birds and rice farmers are mutually benefiting

Water gathers around Mike Wagners boots as he steps into one of his rice fields in northwestern Mississippi on a damp late summer morning. Tall, lush green stalks bend under the weight of ripening rice grains across the flat terrain. Wagner pulls a stalk from a slightly paler patch at the fields edge and shakes it, revealing a few stray grains. This is weedy rice, a wild cousin of cultivated rice that used to be a nuisance to his crops.

In his early years at Two Brooks Farm in the Mississippi Delta, Wagner removed weedy rice to protect his basmati and jasmine crops. Today, he lets it grow, knowing that it feeds the thousands of ducks, geese, and shorebirds that descend on his fields after harvest each fall.

Throughout winter and early spring, the birds consume leftover grains and soil-dwelling critters, naturally clearing the fields of debris. Their movements churn the soil, preparing it for the next planting season, while their droppings reduce Wagners need for synthetic fertilizers by over a third. Although the birds scatter weedy rice seeds unpredictably, Wagner embraces the benefit they bring to his land.

Two Brooks Farm is part of the approximately three million acres of rice farmland across the U.S., from California to the Gulf Coast. These lands provide a critical food source for migrating waterfowl, supplying roughly one-third of their winter dietary needs. Farmers like Wagner are increasingly adopting bird-friendly practices, which improve habitat for wildlife, lower operational costs, and enhance water management and quality.

Scott Manley of Ducks Unlimited explains, Its a give-and-take system. Nature provides our food, but we must support it to sustain the system for future generations.

The Mississippi Delta region, part of the lower Mississippi River basin, sits at the southern end of the Mississippi Flyway, a migratory route from Canada and northern U.S. Historically swampy, much of this land is now cropland. Rice, unlike corn or soybeans, thrives in flooded fields, providing a natural refuge for migrating birds.

Farmers can enhance the habitat by leaving water on fields during winter. Even shallow puddles can attract different bird species. Wagner discovered this benefit by accident after leaving water on a rutted field one winter. Ducks and geese arrived, and by the next spring, their activity had naturally leveled and mixed the soil, a job usually done by machinery.

Beyond rice, the farm supports diverse wildlife. Wagner points out small snails, crawfish, and mussels thriving at field edges. He also maintains patches of forest as wildlife refuges. Each fall, a variety of waterfowl, including Canada and snow geese, along with ducks and shorebirds like pelicans and roseate spoonbills, migrate through the farm.

Research confirms the benefits of these practices. A study on Two Brooks Farm during winter 2017-18 showed bird droppings contributed nearly a third of the recommended nitrogen for rice. Flooding fields in the off-season can reduce synthetic nitrogen fertilizer use by 13% on average. Birds also help decompose organic matter, improve soil health, and allow sediments to settle, protecting downstream water quality by reducing nutrient runoff.

Winter flooding is relatively low-cost, utilizing existing farm infrastructure and relying on rainfall. However, it works best in favorable landscapes with adequate water and appropriate soils. Ducks Unlimited supports farmers by promoting these practices and helping upgrade infrastructure to benefit both birds and crops.

Wagner acknowledges not every farm can replicate his approach but encourages using unique local features to foster wildlife. Despite minor challenges, like birds scattering weedy rice among crops, he has found commercial and culinary uses for the resulting mixed grains, reflecting his vision of a farm integrated with its ecosystem.

This land is home to wildlife as much as it is to us, Wagner says. I dont have a monopoly here. I want to coexist with nature.

Author: Jackson Miller