-72-year-old rice farmer has lots of energy left in him

By Michel Outridge

AT 72 years of age, Standwyck Reece still has the energy and drive as his younger counterparts because it is what he knows to do as a rice farmer in his village.

At the time, he was on his tractor, making his way out the rice fields, to his home, a few yards away. It was then the Pepperpot Magazine caught up with this friendly man, who seems to have energy like a teenager.

Reece reported that he went into the backlands very early that morning, since he is an early riser and would get on with the farming chores before sunrise.

The elder stated that despite his age there is not anything he cannot do and would do normal things as any young man and do them even better, because his age doesn’t prevent him from working.

He disclosed that he went to the rice fields to throw manure on the crop of rice he has and himself and family would work together on the farm, since it is quite large.

“I don’t feel old, in fact, I feel good because I am always working and I don’t sit down and wonder what to do; instead, I have a lot to do because being a farmer is a lot of work daily,” he said.

Reece is a descendant of Jacob James and back in the days, his father was a large-scale livestock and cattle farmer, who was a supplier of meat and meat products.

The father of two revealed that his father was also a rice farmer and his childhood home ( his grandfather’s house) is still standing, but is in dire need of repairs.

Reece recalled that the wooden two-storey house was a grand structure back in the days and it stood tall among trees and vast rice fields and was a sight to behold.

“It is this family’s wish to have this house, which is a landmark in this village, to be restored to his [sic] former glory in memory of our loved ones, who passed away because it holds a lot of memories and most of us grew up in that house,” he said.

Reece stated that rice-farming runs in the family and he has been doing it as a boy and is still at it today.

He is the third generation of the family tree and it is ancestral lands, acres upon acres that are being cultivated jointly among relatives.

Reece explained that in the early days, his father had a large coconut farm and they used to have about 3,000 dry coconuts ready daily to make coconut oil which was supplied to retail stores in the city such as, Resal Maraj on Water Street.

He added that they used to make copra with the by-products of the dry coconuts and that too, was sold.

The rice farmer reported that over time, that business went down because the demand was not there and they had to resort to rice-farming and cattle-rearing

Reece is a resident of Plantation #10 Village, a small farming community on Branch Road, Mahaicony, which consists mostly of one large family, all farmers.

The village elder reported that his sons and nephews all work with him and when they harvest they would employ young men in the village to assist.

Reece said he was going home for a meal and would take rest before going back out to the rice field, where he has some work to complete before nightfall.

“As a rice farmer, it is challenging at times when I cannot access fresh water because of how the drainage and irrigation system is set up for the crops and when the saltwater gets into the rice fields, it damages the crops and it is not good, a loss is incurred, all around,” he said.

Reece disclosed that they would plant 10 varieties of rice in more than 400 acres of lands, which was handed down from his ancestors, who were among the first settlers.

He revealed that the family also has a lot of cows in the backlands and some chickens which are home-grown in the backyard pens.

The 72-year-old told the Pepperpot Magazine that being a farmer is ‘a give and take’ kind of work because depending on the weather, one will get a good harvest then there are other expenses to cater for.

Reece pointed out that the entire family keeps the rice fields going and they work collectively to keep the family business alive daily and that is a blessing indeed when the family can work together and combine their efforts.