Conrad Rice Mill facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Conrad Rice Mill
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Rice mill circa 1913
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 Location in Louisiana
Location in the United States
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| Location | 307 Ann Street New Iberia, Louisiana |
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| Area | 0.7 acres (0.28 ha) |
| Built | 1914 |
| NRHP reference No. | 82000437 |
| Added to NRHP | November 10, 1982 |
The Conrad Rice Mill is a special place in New Iberia, Louisiana. It's a rice mill that has been around for a very long time! It makes different kinds of rice under the Konriko brand.
This mill started way back in 1912. That makes it the oldest rice mill in the United States that is still owned and run by an independent company. Two of its buildings, built in 1914 and 1930, are so important that they are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Contents
How the Mill Started
The story of the Conrad Rice Mill began with Philip Amelius (PA) Conrad. He started farming rice in Louisiana around the year 1900. At first, he worked with his uncle.
But PA Conrad wanted to have his own farm. So, he moved to New Iberia. He bought land next to the Bayou Teche to grow rice. In those days, there were no rice mills nearby. This meant he had to ship his harvested rice about 125 miles by steamboat all the way to New Orleans to get it milled.
To avoid this long trip, PA Conrad built a small rice mill on his farm in 1910. Then, in 1912, he moved and rebuilt the mill at its current spot on Ann Street in New Iberia. This is when he officially started the Conrad Rice Milling and Planting Company. He also bought more land for his rice fields on the other side of the bayou. The Bayou Teche was very important because it provided water for the rice fields. Over time, the company grew to own 575 acres of land for farming.
Early Rice Farming Methods
In the early days, rice farming was very different. There were no big machines! Farmers used mules to prepare the land for planting. They would spread rice seeds by hand in the fields.
Then, small dirt walls called levees were built with shovels. These levees held water about 1 to 1 ½ inches deep. Water for the fields came from the Bayou Teche, sometimes from as far as three miles away! A special irrigation system was built to bring the water.
Big pumps pulled water from the bayou into a high trough. This trough angled down to a street-level flume, using gravity to carry water to the fields. The water even flowed under some streets in New Iberia using old steam boilers! It took about a week to flood the fields at first. Farmers had to keep pumping water until the young rice plants grew tall enough.
Rice was usually planted in the spring, around Easter. It was harvested in August. Growing the rice took about 150 days back then. Later, new types of rice grew faster, in about 120 days.
Harvesting was hard work. It needed 20 to 40 workers! They cut the rice stalks by hand and gathered them into bundles called shocks. These shocks dried in the field for a few days. Then, a tractor-powered machine called a thresher separated the rice grains from the stalks right in the field. The rice was then taken by wagon to the mill. At the mill, the rice was dried even more using a special dryer to get it ready for milling.
Machines Come to the Farm
Things started to change in the 1930s when machines were introduced. Tractors began to replace mules for tilling the land. The first tractors were big, with steel wheels, and you had to crank them by hand to start them!
Before World War II, mechanical harvesting machines were used. A machine called a McCormick Reaper was changed to work with rice. It cut the rice stalks and bundled them. Farmers still gathered these bundles into shocks to dry in the field. New rice dryers allowed the rice to be dried right in the field, which helped protect it from birds and rain.
In 1946, even better machines called combines arrived. These amazing machines could cut and thresh the rice all at once! This meant the rice grains were removed from the stalks right in the field. All the final drying could then happen at the mill.
How Rice Was Milled
The mill building on Ann Street was three stories tall. This was smart because it used gravity to move the rice through different steps. Rice would start on the third floor and move down to the second and first floors for processing, then back up for the next step.
First, rice was brought by an elevator to a storage bin on the third floor. From there, it went through large stones that removed the outer shell of the rice. Then, a machine called a huller took off the bran layer. After that, a "brush" machine polished the rice. This made a very shiny, polished rice that was popular back then. Today, they usually leave the bran on for healthier brown rice.
After polishing, the rice went into a machine called a "trumble." This machine added a coating of sugar and talcum powder. That's why old rice bags sometimes said "wash before cooking"! Finally, the rice was weighed and put into bags. At first, it was sold in huge 100-pound sacks. Later, they used smaller bags of 10, 25, and 50 pounds.
The huller machines were made by the Engelberg Huller Company in Germany. Before electric motors, huge 150-horsepower steam engines powered these machines. A big system of belts and pulleys transferred the power. Electric motors were finally brought in in 1951, replacing the old steam engines.
The People Behind the Mill
PA Conrad's oldest son, Philip Odell (PO) Conrad, joined the business in 1920. He worked there until he passed away in 1945. His second son, Allen Conrad, started working at the mill in 1925, first as a farm hand. The third son, Julian, also worked as a farm hand during his school years. Later, he became the bookkeeper for the company.
PA Conrad retired in 1940. He let his three sons take over the business. But he still helped out as an advisor until he passed away in 1961. During World War II, many workers left to join the war effort. Since there weren't many machines yet, family members and day laborers had to work extra hard to keep the mill running.
One special employee was Leander "Gutchie" Viltz. He started working at the mill when he was just six years old! He worked there for an amazing 72 years, longer than anyone else.
Recent History
The Conrad family stopped farming rice in 1968. Some of their farm land was sold to build new neighborhoods in New Iberia. But the mill kept working, and it still does today! When the Conrad family owned it, the mill only made white rice, which they sold to local grocery stores.
In 1975, Michael Davis bought the mill from the Conrad family. He expanded what the mill produced. Now, they make different kinds of rice, like brown rice and flavored rice. The business also started making other food products, such as local seasonings, spices, sauces, and snacks. They added new brands like HOL GRAIN and QUIGGS and started selling their products all over the US and Canada.
The Konriko Brand
In the 1950s, the company tried to trademark their brand as "Conrico." This name came from "Conrad Rice Company." But the United States Patent and Trademark Office said no. It was too similar to another company's trademark. So, they changed the name to Konriko, which was accepted. That's the famous brand name we know today!
See also
- Rice Mill Lofts: a former rice mill in New Orleans
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Iberia Parish, Louisiana
Images for kids
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Rice mill circa 1913
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Early tractor of the type used for tilling and plowing
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Engelberg Huller Company – Huller and Separator
