Loewer named as Festival honoree

CROWLEY – The 72nd International Rice Festival Honoree is “Jackie” Paul Loewer, Jr., an Acadia Parish rice and soybean farmer whose accomplishments reflect his extensive experience. Loewer currently farms rice and soybeans with his two brothers, Jim and Raymond, on 3900 acres in Acadia Parish. He and his family also manage another 2000 acres of farmland with 1400 acres being located in Allen and Jeff Davis parish and 600 acres in central Kansas.

A graduate of Bethel College in North Newton Kansas, Loewer was a charter member of Texas A&M’s Executive Program for Agricultural Producers. He was a member of the first Excel Southwest Louisiana leadership training class. He is also Chairman of the Board of family owned Producers Rice Drier of Elton, Louisiana.

A member of over a dozen various parish, state, and national rice organizations. Loewer serves as the chairman for the Acadia Rice Growers Association, the Louisiana Rice Producer Group, and the Louisiana Rice Research Board. He serves as a board member of the Louisiana Rice Council and Louisiana Rice Growers Association. He is a member appointed by the Governor on the Louisiana State Groundwater Commission.

Loewer received the Farmer of the Year award for the 1998 International Rice Festival.

A member of the USA Rice Federation, Loewer serves on the group’s Board of Directors, Government Affairs Committee, World Market Price Committee, Food Aid Subcommittee, and International Trade Policy European Union Subcommittee.

He has formerly served on the Atlanta Federal Reserve Board Committee on Labor, Agriculture, and Small Business.

Loewer was married to the late Onietta Unruh for 36 years until her death in 2004. He credits Onietta as being the contributor of all of his good traits and the tolerator of his bad ones.

Together, Jackie and Onietta raised three children, Heather, wife of Brian Miller, of Lancaster, Pennsylvania., Ryan, husband of Suzanne, of Boulder, Colorado, and Margo, wife of Matt Yoder of Atlanta, Georgia. He is also the proud grandfather of eight.

A spiritual man, Loewer is a member of Mowata Baptist Church where he has served as a worship leader and deacon, and currently teaches a weekly adult bible class. He is Treasurer and executive board member of his denomination, the North American Baptist Conference of Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois, and serves on the Board of the North American Baptist Foundation.