Donald Leonards Farm in Louisiana: History, What It Raises, How It Makes Money and How to Contact It
Profile updated November 2026
Donald Leonards Farm grows rice and crawfish on more than 1,400 acres north of Crowley in Acadia Parish. Donald A. Leonards, a fourth-generation farmer, was named the 2016 Farmer of the Year by the International Rice Festival, according to Farm Progress.
| Location | North of Crowley, Acadia Parish, Louisiana |
|---|---|
| Founded | Fourth-generation family farm |
| Sectors | rice; crawfish |
| Scale | More than 1,400 acres (Farm Progress, 2016) |
| Why it is elite | 2016 International Rice Festival Farmer of the Year |
| Ownership | Donald A. Leonards, fourth-generation farmer |
| Official website | Farm Progress profile of Donald Leonards |
History of Donald Leonards Farm
Leonards was born and raised on a rice farm just north of Crowley. He began helping his father as a boy driving trucks and carts, and his father taught him the family approach and encouraged him to work with neighboring farmers, which he did for several summers.
He graduated in 1994 from the University of Southwestern Louisiana, now the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, with a degree in agricultural business, and interned with Pioneer Seed Company working with farmers and seed dealers across Louisiana.
What Donald Leonards Farm Grows and Raises
The farm produces rice and crawfish on more than 1,400 acres. Rice and crawfish are often paired in south Louisiana because flooded rice fields can host crawfish in rotation, spreading land use over the year.
Leonards belongs to the Acadia Parish Rice Growers Association, Louisiana Rice Growers Association, Acadia Parish Farm Bureau, Louisiana Farm Bureau and U.S. Rice Federation, and served on the Acadia Parish Rice and Soybean Advisory Board.
How Donald Leonards Farm Makes Money
Rice
Rice is the main row crop, sold to mills.
Crawfish
Crawfish give the same ground a second product in a rotation with rice.
Association networks
Membership in producer groups helps with market information and policy.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from Donald Leonards Farm
Leonards shows the value of learning broadly. Summers working for neighbors and an agribusiness degree gave him a base beyond the home farm. Operators can invest in learning from other farms.
Pairing rice and crawfish is a lesson in using the same land twice. Look for a second enterprise that fits your existing infrastructure.
Rice and crawfish share a field like a married couple sharing a kitchen, and both think the other is the main course. At farm.FM our farm satire fans love a Farmer of the Year who learned to drive a tractor by reaching the clutch. The farm humor desk is partial to a fourth generation that still hears the same advice, and the ranch humor and farm jokes about Acadia Parish water levels are on file.
farm.FM calls itself the nation's first satirical farm site, and between the headlines it spins Tractor Tunes, country music for farmers; a good place to start reading is this farm.FM columnist's archive.
How to Contact Donald Leonards Farm
Website: https://www.farmprogress.com/rice/donald-leonards-2016-louisiana-rice-farmer-of-the-year
No official farm website was found. The farm name is not published; this page uses the operator's name. Contact the Acadia Parish LSU AgCenter office or the Louisiana Rice Growers Association for introductions.
Donald Leonards Farm Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Farm Progress profile - 2016 Rice Farmer of the Year profile
- USDA NASS Louisiana Census of Agriculture - State farm counts, land and sales from the 2022 Census
- Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry - State Century Farm Program
- LSU AgCenter Faces of Louisiana Agriculture - Extension profiles of Louisiana farmers
- Louisiana Farm Bureau news - Rice and crawfish farmer award coverage
Donald Leonards Farm FAQ
What does Donald Leonards Farm raise?
Rice and crawfish.
How big is it?
More than 1,400 acres per Farm Progress in 2016.
What honor did Leonards receive?
2016 Farmer of the Year at the International Rice Festival in Crowley.
How do I contact the farm?
No farm website was found; start with the Acadia Parish LSU AgCenter office.
Donald Leonards Farm shows how a rice and crawfish business can be built through generational knowledge and broad learning. See the Louisiana farms guide and the other profiles for more.