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Meet Blake Gerard, Founder & Grower of Cahokia Rice
Grown in Southern Illinois, Cahokia Rice is family-owned and operated by fourth-generation farmer Blake Gerard.
Blake Gerard is a fourth-generation farmer from the southern most tip of Illinois, where the Mississippi River carves its way past miles of fertile river bottom land. His family has worked this ground for nearly a century, beginning with his grandfather Harold Gerard on an island just north of Cairo, Illinois. Today, Blake farms over 2,500 acres across Alexander and Union counties — and stands at the helm of one of the most innovative rice operations in the country.
In 1990, at just 20 years old, Blake left college at Mississippi State to take over the family farm following the sudden passing of his father, Lynn Gerard. It was a defining moment that shaped both his character and his approach to farming. Nine years later, after surviving a decade of floods that repeatedly ravaged traditional crops, Blake made a bold pivot — planting his first-ever rice crop in the flood-prone McClure bottoms.
Most thought he was crazy. After all, rice wasn’t “supposed” to grow in Illinois. But Blake saw what others didn’t: abundant water, fertile soil, and an opportunity to turn geography into an advantage.
Fast forward to today, and Blake has become a pioneer of northern rice production — not just growing rice, but changing what rice can be. He’s the co-founder of Cahokia Rice, the only naturally bred, non-GMO, high-protein rice grown in the United States. Unlike conventional long grain rice, Cahokia offers up to 53% more protein, a lower glycemic index, and exceptional traceability from seed to plate. It’s grown, milled, and packaged entirely in Southern Illinois — making it one of the most regionally sustainable grains available to institutional buyers.
Blake also serves as President of River Bend Rice, a contract seed company he co-founded in 1999, which supplies rice and soybean seed across more than 10,000 acres annually. Whether working with national seed companies or testing new varieties with university partners, Blake is known for leading with humility, integrity, and a rare willingness to adapt.
Family-Owned & Operated
Today, Blake farms alongside his wife Shelly and their three children — Wyatt, Lucy, and Dixie — with Wyatt now becoming his right-hand man in the fields. Together, they’re building the next chapter of the Gerard family legacy: stewarding the land with care, feeding people with purpose, and redefining what’s possible in the American rice industry.
