L.G. and Linda Raun started growing Jasmine 85 as an organic rice on their Lowell Farms near El Campo, Texas, in 1989. Jasmine 85 was a good choice. Scientists selected it as IR841, from the 841st IRRI cross, made in 1966 by Dr. Ben Jackson, Rockefeller Foundation rice breeder and IRRT liaison in Thailand from 1966 to 19831. One of its parents was Khao Dawk Mall 105, Thailand's most popular jasmine variety. We regularly served the sticky, fragrant IR841 to guests in IRRl's Executive Dining Room, and at official IRRI functions.
Pests are different in the United Stales.
Texas state officials analyze soil samples, then grain samples at harvest. But with no fertilization, yields of Jasmine 85 as an organic are only about half those of rices grown conventionally. If a farmer fertilizes, and the rains aren't good, the fertilizer is lost. Most jasmine is grown on sandy soils at 2,000 to 3,000 feet elevation in Northeast Thailand. Yields are less than 2,000 pounds per acre, among the lowest in Asia.