Vermont is experimenting with a whole new crop: rice, reports The Addison Independent. Ferrisburgh farmer Erik Andrus, along with some help from Vergennes Union High School freshman, recently planted a one-acre plot, which translates to 4,000 pounds, of rice on his Boundbrook Farm. It would be the first commercial rice growing operation in Vermont. Andrus began his experiment on a small scale last year in an attempt to use his land in more innovative ways. Farmers in northern Japan, whose climate is similar to that of the northeastern U.S., have been growing rice for thousands of years in wetlands, which is where Andrus first got the idea after living in Japan. Rice production is not an easy endeavor, requiring a lot of planning and the creation of a rice paddy, accordi