Writer: Lynette James (979) 845-2869,ljames@agcom.tamu.edu
Contact: Des Woods (281) 375-5562
COLLEGE STATION – In a recent ceremony, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M University and the Texas Rice Research Foundation celebrated the establishment of the $1.5 million B. Jack Wendt Texas Rice Research Foundation Chair.
The foundation s contribution of $500,000 will be matched by the Texas A&M Bright Matching Funds program and the university s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
The interest earned from this endowment will be used to enhance Texas A&M s research, education, environment and extension programs for the Texas rice industry.
Dr. Edward A. Hiler, Vice Chancellor for Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M, said the foundation s hard work and investment in the endowed chair will reap big dividends for Texas rice farmers. We re committed to serving this industry in the very best way possible. We re committed and we know that the industry’s committed, and that s what makes it all work.
The foundation named the chair in honor of B. Jack Wendt of Richmond, Texas, one of the most dedicated rice producers in the nation who planted his 59th rice crop this year.Wendt has served on the board of directors of numerous state and national rice groups, including the Texas Rice Research Foundation. He has also served on many community and civic boards and has received numerous awards and honors from agriculture and the rice industry during his farming career.
J.D. Woods, chairman of the foundation s board, said that the organization could think of only one person deserving an honor of this magnitude. Jack has served the rice industry well during his lifetime. Some of the donors [to this endowed chair] are people that Jack personally brought in. He has given generously of his time and has taught us to invest in things that will be here long after we are gone.
Wendt, who was surprised with the honor, said, I felt this was a worthwhile cause. The rice industry needed it and I really believed in it. This is just another way to cover the shortage of funds needed for research.
Woods said that the holder of this chair, to be located at the Texas A&M Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Beaumont, will explore not only new and better ways to cost effectively grow rice, but to study how rice farming affects the environment. Past research has shown that rice fields purify water and provide new habitats for shore and migratory birds.
The Texas Rice Foundation, organized in 1982, is made up of 12 board members who are elected by rice producers from 12 districts across the Texas rice belt, which is roughly defined as the Gulf Coastal region between Beaumont and Victoria. In 1999, this region produced a rice crop valued at around $120 million.
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