Paul T. Combs

Meet Riceland member, Paul T. Combs! As President of Baker Implement Company, Combs is responsible for thirteen equipment dealership locations across the Missouri Bootheel and Northeast Arkansas. Baker Implement was started by Combs’ great-grandfather in the 1930s in Deering, Missouri. Paul became involved with Riceland in the 90's when he acquired a farm that he developed into a rice farm.

Combs participated in the USA Rice Leadership Program in the early 2000's which fueled his passion for the rice industry. This allowed him to meet several industry leaders, including Dick Bell, former Riceland CEO. He then participated in the Riceland In-Depth class.

“I have pretty much been involved with Riceland since then,” Combs says.

Being involved in agriculture through his equipment business and as a landowner, Combs has a unique opportunity to see multiple aspects.

“The producer side of land ownership helps me in my equipment business because I understand concerns at the farm level," he said. "I am able to carry that into the equipment business. By the same token, I can use the equipment business to gain knowledge of innovations in agriculture and apply that to the farm.”

Combs’ grandfather once told him, “Buying a farm is kind of like buying cows. You might not make any money, but you’ll enjoy it better if you buy a good-looking one.” His grandfather’s other piece of advice was, “if you don’t like going to work every day, you need a different job.”  

Luckily, Combs enjoys his line of work and the relationships that have come from it.  

“Not a day goes by that farmers are not in my office talking about everything from input prices to technology,” Combs said.  

Agriculture is constantly evolving; Paul is always looking to gain knowledge and learn more about industry issues. Businesses and farmers alike are working to improve agricultural practices in their area.  

Combs also serves as president of the Little River Drainage District. This organization works to keep the Missouri Bootheel drained.  

“In the 1920s, our forefathers started a huge project to drain the middle of the Bootheel. It’s now some of the most productive ground in the world,” he said.  

This is an ongoing effort to maintain Missouri’s farmland productivity.  

Riceland was one of the first places farmers in Missouri could deliver rice. Combs has an insightful point of view on the value of being a member of our cooperative.  

“With Riceland, we always felt like we were part of the operation because it was a cooperative,” he said. “We could see our investment in Riceland grow. If Riceland succeeds, we all succeed.”

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