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2010 INTERNATIONAL RICE FESTIVAL PRESIDENT Albert "Al" Leleux
Albert is honored to serve the 74th International Rice Festival as President this year. He has been an active volunteer for the past 17 years working on the Cajun Country Rice Sound Stage and in the capacity of Chairman for the last five years. Al has been married to the former Elisabeth Zaunbrecher for 28 years who shares his love of the Rice Festival by serving as an active volunteer herself. They are the proud parents of two sons; Matthew and his wife Kelly and Steven. Steven serves as a board member and works tirelessly beside his Dad on the Cajun Country Rice Sound Stage. In addition to his commitment to the International Rice Festival, Al was a member of the Louisiana High School Baseball Association for 22 years. He also volunteered at the Crowley Recreation Department for 25 years and Redemptorist Catholic School as a baseball, soccer and basketball coach as well as officiating at numerous sporting events. Al is also a member of the Crowley Town Club. Having been born and raised in Crowley Al has grown up surrounded by family involved in the Rice industry, including those who both farmed and worked in the milling of rice. Family and friends are still today working to keep the rice industry growing. He appreciates their tenacity in keeping the industry going in spite of the struggles all farmers are facing and is proud to do his part in supporting and promoting rice throughout Louisiana.
In his spare time Al enjoys cooking for family and friends and is proud to hand the tradition down to his sons, who are becoming masters of rice and gravy in their own right. Al would like to offer many thanks to Janet Hebert, Gene Williams, Glynn Mayard, J.C. Webb, Brady Williams and Roxie Viator for their confidence and support in allowing him to be able to keep the International Rice Festival growing and moving forward to bigger and better times. Thanks also to Blane Faulk and Jay Suire for their belief in his ability to continue the traditions of the Rice Festival. And it is with heartfelt thanks to the many volunteers who give untiringly of their time and effort to work to make this festival the success it is. The International Rice Festival is the oldest, largest and best agricultural festival in the state and with your continued support will continue to grow, so thank you to all who support the International Rice Festival. Al would like to welcome everyone to the 74th International Rice Festival in his historic hometown of Crowley, LA.


		2010 INTERNATIONAL RICE FESTIVAL GRAND PARADE GRAND MARSHALL Randy E. Falcon
		Randy was born in Crowley, LA in 1950. His parents were Edward Falcon and Evelyn Hanks Falcon, founders of Crowley Warehouse that eventually became known as the Falcon Rice Mill which is still operated by the Falcon family. Randy grew up attending the International Rice Festival, attended St. Michael’s school and was a member of the first graduating class of Notre Dame High School in 1968. Randy earned a BA degree in Education with a minor in Psychology from McNeese State University in 1974. He started his teaching career in Crowley and also taught for several years in Lafayette Parish. Randy began making Cajun accordions in 1973, which became his passion and vocation. He retired from teaching to devote all of his time to making the instrument. After working on an idea he thought of, he invented and received a U.S. patent for a new design called a dual pitch accordion. He has sold his accordions in Canada, Europe and the United States. The “Falcon” accordion has become a favorite for many of the top musicians.
Randy and his wife, Connie Thibodeaux Falcon, live on his family rice farm in Lafayette Parish and is Vice President of Falcon Rice Mill, Inc. They have two children, Wade Falcon and his wife Laycie Romero Falcon, and Melanie Falcon Daigle and her husband Derrick Daigle. They have one grandchild, Isabella Marie Falcon.


2010 INTERNATIONAL RICE FESTIVAL HONOREE Bobby Hanks
Bobby is humbled and honored to be the 2010 Rice Festival Honoree. He was born and raised in Rayne La and attended elementary school at Rayne Catholic Elementary and graduated from Notre Dame High School. He then went on to attend college at LSU and USL majoring in Finance and graduating from USL with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. After graduating from college, he worked for several years with Rayne State Bank before moving into the rice business. Bobby and a few other investors acquired their first Rice mill in Mermentau, LA in October 1999. Rice milling in the early 2000’s was a very challenging business with many mills having closed their doors or sold since then. In an effort to increase their efficiency, the group acquired their second rice mill in Eunice during 2003. This acquisition allowed the business to grow the size of the milling operation and open up new export markets. Bobby was able to expand the milling operation even further into domestic markets by acquiring Supreme rice mill in 2007. And in June of this year he acquired the old Dore’ rice mill in Crowley. In 2008, the mill achieved an Excellent rating by the American Institute of Baking (AIB) which allowed the company to expand its domestic customer base. He says the company
strives every day to provide the best quality products and services to customers in the US and around the world. Since acquiring that first mill in 1999, he has overseen the continued growth of Louisiana Rice Mill into the largest rice milling operation in the state of Louisiana which currently employs over 150 people and is ready to serve the market needs of rice farmers statewide. Bobby truly believes farmers and mills must work together to improve the overall viability of the local rice industry. The mill co-exists with farmers as their access point to the US and World rice markets. In realizing how challenging rice farming can be, he and his staff strive daily to not only improve and expand the farmer’s pricing options, but also to work with the farmer to improve their bottom-line profitability. Bobby says, “without the rice farmer, there is no need for rice mills, so we must continue to find better ways to work together.” Bobby has been very active in the leadership of the US Rice Industry. He has been a board member of the USA Rice Millers Association since 1999 and was elected the Chairman of the Board in 2009 and is currently serving in that capacity. He is the Chairman of the Louisiana Agricultural Commodities Commission, Vice Chairman of USA Rice Federation International Promotions, Vice Chairman of USA Rice Government Affairs, and a Board member of the USA Rice Federation. He is a member of the Crowley Chamber of Commerce and serves on the Advisory Board of Home Bank. He is a proud member of St. Michaels Catholic Church. He is married to the former Mollie Cassedy of Crowley and together they have 3 children, Matthew, Nicholas, and Isabelle. His hobbies are hunting, fishing and playing golf.

		RICE FARMER OF THE YEAR 2010 Glenn Simon
		Being raised and surrounded by agriculture, this 4th generation farmer’s destiny was developed at a young age. It all began in Kaplan where he grew up and was raised on the family farm. Mr. Simon graduated from Kaplan High in 1974. He pursued and earned a B.S. degree in Agronomy from McNeese State University in 198. He served as Agronomy Club President and was also selected as Outstanding Agronomist. In 1980 he received an agriculture education certification from ULL, formerly the University of Southwestern Louisiana. However, production agriculture had the apparent influence on his young life. Mr. Simon’s farm has grown to 1800 acres of rice and 1700 acres of soybeans. He has also planted wheat when the market presents the opportunity. Conservation is a very important factor in his farm. Laser leveling is an ongoing practice with the ultimate goal being that every acre farmed is precision leveled. Diesel powered engines that drove water wells have been replaced with electric motors and variable transmissions to provide a cleaner and cheaper source of energy. Minimum tillage is now implemented because of the new technology developed in rice varieties that originated at the LSU Rice Experiment Station.
“Those scientists have created a new standard for growing rice that allows us to be competitive with other rice producing states,” says Mr. Simon. His rotation is one year rice followed by one year soybeans. He believes this rotation will help preserve the Clearfield technology created by LSU here in our own back yard. Preparation for the rice crop begins in the fall so no-till planting can be utilized. He believes a good drill and a good spray rig are vital to establishing an early, clean, solid stand. A major emphasis is placed on establishing a consistent stubble crop. He is constantly looking for improvement by using proven methods along with ongoing trials. “Being able to grow 10,000 pounds of rice per acre consistently would make Southwest Louisiana competitive with all other rice producing states. The longer warm climate allows us the potential for growing a successful second crop,” says Mr. Simon. Soybeans in his area benefit greatly from being grown on raised beds. His beans are drilled on 68” beds with 15” spacings. Beds are pulled as early as possible allowing for minimum till planting into a high moisture bed. This allows for an extended planting window reducing unplanted acres. Mr. Simon has implemented a software program sponsored by Syngenta called Land DB. It is a very effective tool that allows you to easily track cost from field to field throughout the growing season. It provides a detailed summary of input costs, allowing you to evaluate your profit potential. He has given back to an industry that has been good to him. He presently serves as Acadia Parish’s FSA Committee Chairman and has been involved with that agency stemming back to the 1980’s when he served on the financial board of the FHA. He also finds working with the LSU Ag Center Rice & Soybean Advisory Board beneficial and rewarding. Louisiana Rice Council, Acadia Rice Growers, Vermilion Rice Growers, and Louisiana Rice Growers Association are also part of his agenda. He also serves on the advisory panel for Ricetec Seed. Aside from agriculture, he has a devotion to education and school activities. He has served as President of Estherwood Elementary PTC, coached basketball for many years at Eshterwood Elementary and Redemptorist Catholic, and actively participated in the Notre Dame Athletic Booster Club. He has also served as an advisory council member of Midland Vo Ag and FFA. He attends Immaculate Heart of Mary Church and is a member of the Knights of Columbus Council 4791. Mr. Simon feels very fortunate to have his 89 year our Father and 85 year old Mother still actively supporting him. Their love for agriculture has been a legacy that has passed through them down to him and one that he is passing down to his own children and grandchildren. He is married with 4 children.

JR FARMER OF THE YEAR 2010 Phillip John Reiners
The 74th International Rice Festival recognizes Phillip John Reiners as the 2010 Junior Farmer of the Year. Phillip is the 16 year old son of Kevin and TeKoah Reiners of Roberts Cove. He is the oldest of four children. He has two brothers, Jake (8), Adam (7) and one sister, Madalyn (3). He is the grandson of John Herman, Jr. and Mary Ann Reiners of Roberts Cove and Dean Broussard and Alberta Girard of Cow Island, La. Phillip and his family live in Roberts Cove. The farm consists of 1800 acres of rice, soybeans, crawfish, and cattle. Growing up on the farm helped Phillip learn the duties and responsibilities of a farmer at an early age. Some of Phillip’s duties include field preparation, planting the crops, spraying the fields, and harvesting the crops. He also helps with bin maintenance by leveling and drying the rice. Phillip is a junior at Notre Dame High School in Crowley. He is taking Honors Classes and is a member of the Notre Dame Football Team. After high school, Phillip plans to get a degree in plant pathology and continue farming.
Phillip is an active member of St. Leo IV Catholic Church in Robert’s Cove. He has been an altar server for the past seven years. He is also a member of the Young Men of St. Joseph. Phillip likes fishing, boating, and spending time with family and friends. His strong agricultural roots and family dedication are evident in the Reiners’ family. He is planning to be the 5th generation farmer in the Robert’s Cove area.


		2009 INTERNATIONAL RICE FESTIVAL CHILDREN'S GRAND MARSHALL Lewis Cook
		Lewis Cook - Notre Dame High School Administrator and Head Football Coach Wife – Faye (Married 35 years) – 3 sons Lewis 27, Jeff 25, and Stuart 16 Graduated from University of Southwestern Louisiana now the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in 1974 with a BS degree in education Years in coaching – 35 (24 years as a head high school coach) 1974 – 1976 Rayne High School – Assistant Coach 1977 – 1980 Rayne High School – Head Football Coach 1981 – 1984 University of Southwestern Louisiana – Offensive Assistant Coach 1985 – 1991 Crowley High School – Head Football Coach 1992 – 1995 University of Southwestern Louisiana – Offensive coordinator (Qb Coach) 1996 – Crowley High School – Head Football Coach 1997 – Present Notre Dame High School – Head Football Coach Career High School coaching record – 239 wins 69 losses Career State High School playoffs record – 52 wins 20 losses 22 State Playoff Appearances 3A – State Champs 1989 & 2000 4A – State Finalist 1991 & 1996 3A – State Finalist 2003-2004-2005-2008 3A – State Semi-Finalist 2001-2002-2006 3A – State Quarter-Finalist 1986-1988-1997-1999 3A – State Regional-Finalist 1987-1990-1998-2007 3A – State Bi-District-Finalist 1979-1980-1985 15 District Championship – 1986-87-88-89-90-96-99-2000-01-02-03-04-05-07
3A State Coach of the Year – (3) 1989-2003-2005 4A State Coach of the Year – (1) 1996 Regional Coach of the Year – (4) 1989-1996-2000-2003 District Coach of the Year – (12) 1986-87-88-89-90-96-99-2000-01-02-03-08 Louisiana High School All-Star Game Head Coach West Team 1990-2001 US Army All-American Bowl Assistant Coach West Team 2008 Coached the following professional football players: Jake Delhomme – Carolina Panthers Brandon Stokley – Denver Broncos Orlando Thomas – Minnesota Vikings Anthony Clement – New York Jets Shane Garrett – Cincinnati Bengals Tracy Boyd – New England Patriots


2009 RICE FESTIVAL PRESIDENT ELECT Albert Leleux
Born and raised in Crowley, Albert is honored to serve the International Rice Festival as 2008 Vice-President and looks forward to serving the festival for the next three years. Al has been a volunteer of the festival for the past 15 years working on the Main Festival Platform, including the past three years as the chairman. Al is a graduate of Crowley High School. He has been employed for 16 years with Southern Steel in Lafayette, as sales manager. Al is married to the former Elisabeth Zaunbrecher and they are the parents of two sons Matt and Steven. Al grew up surrounded by family involved in the rice industry, including those who both farmed and worked in the milling of rice. Al has family and friends who today are working to keep the rice industry growing. He appreciates their tenacity in keeping the industry going in spite of the struggles all farmers are facing, and is proud to do his part in supporting and promoting rice throughout Louisiana.
Al would like to offer many thanks to Blane Faulk, Janet Hebert, Gene Williams, Glynn Maynard, Jay Suire, Roxie Viatar for their confidence and support in allowing him to be able to keep the International Rice Festival growing and moving forward to bigger and better times. Also many thanks to the numerous volunteers, without whom this festival could not continue to grow. The International Rice Festival is the biggest and best agricultural festival in the state, and with your continued support will continue to grow, so thanks to all who support the International Rice Festival. Always remember, ‘Rice on the plate makes the meal great.’


		2009 INTERNATIONAL RICE FESTIVAL VICE PRESIDENT J.C. Webb
		J. C. is proud to serve as Vice President of the 73rd International Rice Festival. J. C. has been a volunteer of the festival for the past 26 years as a photographer and the past five years as the Chairman. He was born in Lafayette and raised in Crowley and says that he has fond memories of attending the International Rice Festival since he was a small boy. J. C. graduated from Crowley High School and the Crowley Vocational Technical College. He retired in 2001, after 30 years of working for the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development as a Surveyor and also a Utility Relocation Specialist. He has been married to the former Suzy Blalock for 37 years. They have three children, Jennifer Abadie and her husband Chad, James (Jimbo) and his wife Stephanie, and Joshua and his wife Bethany. They have seven grandchildren. J. C. has served on the Redemptorist Catholic school board, past president of the Redemptorist Catholic athletic booster club, and RCS coach. He also volunteers as a soccer and baseball coach at the Crowley Recreation Department and has done so for the past 25 years. He has been a member of the Acadia Parish Farm Bureau since 1984. He is also a member of the council 5499 Knights of Columbus. He is a member and past president of the Cajun chapter of the Coastal Conservation Association. He currently serves on the board of the 6th Ward Drainage District. In his spare time, J. C. enjoys fishing and camping, and cooking for family and friends.
J. C.’s passion for photography serves the festival annually, as he enjoys photographing the many events of the festival. His photographs have been a way of preserving the history of the festival for many years. Although J. C. is not involved directly with farming, his awareness of the importance of the Rice Industry to our area is unique. J. C. would like to thank those members of the Rice Festival Board who have given him the opportunity to serve as this years Vice President. He is extremely honored to be chosen and appreciates each and every volunteer that continue to make the International Rice Festival the biggest and best agricultural festival around.