Ep 89 - Mollie Buckler | Small Town Roots, Worldwide Impact

A small-town podcast can lead to a global conversation fast. After a 42-6 Bulldogs win and a quick tour of Sikeston athletics, we sit down with Sikeston native Mollie Buckler, now Senior Director of Grower and International Relations for USA Rice, to talk about the real engine behind Southeast Missouri: agriculture and the rice industry. Mollie walks us through her path from Mizzou and education policy to agricultural advocacy, and why moving back to the Bootheel unlocked a career that now reaches Beijing, Shanghai, Singapore, and Taiwan. We dig into what it actually means to advocate for rice growers in Washington, DC and Jefferson City, from USDA programs and the Farm Bill to workforce challenges like H2A labor. She also explains how market access funding supports trade promotion and why building relationships in tough markets matters even when exports are limited. Then we get into the hard stuff: rice prices, acreage drops, and the uncomfortable truth that U.S. long-grain rice quality has taken hits over time. Mollie breaks down how too many varieties, co-mingling, and yield-first decisions can cost market share, and what it will take to win back trust with buyers. We also compare Mid-South production to California’s quality-driven model, and why water protection and sustainability messaging look different state to state. If you care about Southeast Missouri agriculture, international trade, or the future of American farming, this one connects the dots. Subscribe, share the episode with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find the stories coming out of the heart of the 573. 👉 Subscribe, rate, and share The Doghouse — your home for Sikeston Bulldogs and everything Sikeston. 🎧 Listen: Apple | Spotify | Amazon Music | Buzzsprout | iHeartRadio 🌐 Visit: thedoghouse.buzzsprout.com 📱 Follow: Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | YouTube ✉️ Contact: doghouse.sikeston@gmail.com