A.N. Rice Mills

I'm writing this from our spot on Thuhi Road. A.N. Rice Mills has been right here for quite some time now. If you drive down this way, you’ve probably seen the gates. It is not a fancy place, just a lot of sheds and the sound of the hulling machines running most of the day. Some mornings are busier than others when the tractors start lining up early. My cousin used to work the scales, but now it is mostly just us handling the daily grind. The dust gets everywhere, no matter how much we sweep. That is just how it goes with rice. We do the work, keep the equipment oiled, and try to stay ahead of the weather. It rains, and everything slows down, but that is farming life for you. Most of the folks who stop by are locals we have known for years. We aren't doing anything revolutionary here. It is just rice milling. You take the paddy, you process it, and you move it out. The electricity cuts out sometimes, which is a real pain, but we make do with what we have. It’s a long day usually, starting before the sun is fully up and ending when the last truck leaves. Nothing too complicated about it. We are just a part of the landscape on Thuhi Road, doing what needs doing. It’s hard work, but we are used to the noise and the routine. We just keep the motors turning day after day.