a rice irrigation and canal system, the first in the state, to support rice culture in the area. In 1892 he converted his mill to a rice mill, the first commercially successful one in the state of Texas. At that time, farmers in the county had 1500 acres in rice. Broussard was instrumental in establishing the rice industry and this product as a commodity crop in Texas. Rice cultivation expanded. By 1903, Texas farmers "planted 234,000 acres of rice compared to Louisiana's 376,000 acres. The two states then produced 99 percent of the total rice crop, with production having virtually ceased in South Carolina and Georgia." In peak years under Broussard's management, local farms had 40,000 acres in rice. The irrigation company became institutionalized in 1933 when established by the state legislature as the Lower Neches Valley Authority. Broussard also encouraged rice farmers to organize, serving as president of the Rice Millers' and Dealers' Association (the forerunner of the current Rice Millers' Association of America), from 1907 to 1918. During the early years, he traveled with a team to Europe to market his area's rice. By the time of Broussard's death on October 6, 1956, rice was being cultivated on 400,000 acres in 23 counties in Texas. By the 1980s, his grandson was running the rice mill. Broussard's daughter, Rita Estelle Broussard (1900–2003), was a pianist and music teacher. Legacy and honors The 1950 International Rice Festival at Crowley, Louisiana, was dedicated to Broussard. Broussard was knighted as an exemplary Catholic in 1938 by Pope Pius XI. References Further reading Genevieve Broussard Dutton, "Pioneer Rice Industrialist and Man of Faith: Joseph Eloi Broussard (1866–1956)," Texas Gulf Coast Historical and Biographical Record 15 (1979). Rice Mill: 50 Years (1892–1942) (Beaumont, Texas: Beaumont Rice Mill, 1942). People from Beaumont, Texas 1866 births 1956 deaths American people of French descent Catholics from Texas