Daniel Berglund, a rice farmer for almost 40 years, climbs into his green-and-yellow 2014 John Deere model 8335R tractor in early May, turns on the ignition, and begins his day. As the tractor—which he bought used to save money—rumbles to life, the computer screen to the right of the large black steering wheel lights up, revealing a map of the 100 acres he leases in Wharton County, a sleepy place southwest of Houston’s sprawl. On the map are GPS-generated contour lines indicating where he should create this year’s dirt levees.
He shifts the four-wheel-drive tractor into gear and methodically drives it across the field, which is covered in 4-inch-tall bright-green blades of basmati rice he planted two weeks earlier. Periodically, Berglund glances at the digital display that shows his tractor’s path in real time to confirm he’s following the prescribed lines to create levees with a 2.4-inch drop between them.
On Berglund’s first pass, the tractor tires’ treads create deep ruts in the dirt. For his second pass, he lowers the plow, which piles dirt into a line behind it. By repeating the process, Berglund adds more dirt to the levees until they reach the correct height.
