Ralston Family Farms grows with tradition, regenerative roots
“It’s working with nature to nurture what nature gives us.”
Robin Ralston’s simple yet elegant statement encompasses the mission behind the family’s farming business in Atkins. Ralston Family Farms, which has cultivated several rice varieties over the past decade, is a uniquely Arkansas creation. Its rice is grown outside of the famed Delta region, but in a manner unlike most other farms.
September is National Rice Month, and Arkansas has plenty to celebrate. According to the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, Arkansas produced nearly half of the nation’s rice in 2024, accounting for 49.3% of U.S. production and 49.9% of planted rice acreage. Among the farm families contributing to that legacy are the Ralstons.
Family tradition
The Ralstons have been farming for 10 generations. They approach planting, harvesting and working the soil in a conscientious manner. It’s a family affair with Robin and Tim Ralston’s children involved in the operation.
Ashley is the preventative controls qualified individual manager, Jennifer is the director of sales and marketing and Matthew is on the farming side, a calling Robin says has been with him since childhood.
“He has always had a deep love for agriculture,” she said. “To the point where we ended up homeschooling him because of his tie to the land.” Matthew’s wife, Brittani, helps with the regenerative side and social media. “All of our kids are involved,” Robin said, “either on the farm or the mill side.”
Farming runs through both sides of their family. Robin’s father had a farm in Clark County, around Manning. Tim’s family farmed in Greenbrier after moving from Kansas.
Regenerative playbook
What makes the modern Ralston operation stand apart is its regenerative approach. “Regenerative farming is the way everyone used to farm before all the chemicals came into play,” Robin says. To become Regenified Certified, the farm follows a detailed plan focused on no-till planting, diverse cover crops, biodiversity, grazing after harvest, soil health, water conservation and nutrient density.
It’s a year-round cycle. Cover crops are planted in the fall, then crimped down in spring. “When you crimp it and break the stalk, it dies and becomes a natural cover that suppresses weeds, insulates the soil, protects microbial life and helps water move downward instead of pooling on top.” This is beneficial for water filtration.
More than a dozen plants make up the cover crop. “We went from a mono cover crop to 12 or 13 different species planted together,” Robin says. “Each one benefits the soil in a specific way.” They include black oats, rye and turnips. Those roots open channels, which earthworms follow, building organic matter.
Once the rice is harvested, cattle graze the fields, providing natural fertilizer while eating weeds before they become a problem.
Ralston Family Farm fields don’t look like rice fields elsewhere in the state. Instead of keeping fields continuously flooded, they use the alternate wetting and drying (AWD) method.
“We put a flood on the field at pivotal growth points,” Robin explains. “Our ground is zero grade, so it’s easy to manage the water.” The family also catches rainwater when possible and uses water from the Point Remove Wetlands Reclamation and Irrigation District (PRWRID) rather than pumping groundwater, which can deplete the aquifer.
Flavorful varieties
Consumers know Ralston Family Farm products for both quality and variety. They lean into red rice, aromatic purple rice, golden rice and rice blends.
“We knew in order to differentiate ourselves, we had to grow something that was different,” Robin shares. “We wanted to really grow what was healthy and flavorful.”
Their Nature’s Blend is especially unusual — it’s grown as a blend in the ground, with different sorts of rice sprouting in the same space. Most other blends on the market are mechanically blended at the mill.
One of the company’s signature products is rice grits. Robin loves grits, and though most folks know corn grits today, rice grits have a history going back generations. Rather than relying solely on naturally broken grains, the family mills golden rice and Nature’s Blend into a coarse texture that cooks like traditional grits.
Some places in the area, like Ridgewood Brothers BBQ in Russellville, are using those grits in one of their popular side dishes.
The next step in the Ralston Family Farms playbook calls for adding more products: beans! Black garbanzo beans, pink magnolia beans and more than a dozen other varieties will soon hit the market.
Through commitment and family ties, the Ralstons are firmly tied to the soil and their place in Arkansas agriculture. As they look ahead, they’re proving that honoring tradition and embracing innovation can go hand in hand.