With all the attention and debate swirling around the water and political landscape in California, policy leaders should better understand the Sacramento Valley and the central role that water serves in shaping our special region. As a life-long resident of this region, I have spent my entire life gaining a deeper appreciation for the way our land and water resources work together to make the Sacramento Valley a truly unique and essential part of California.

Last week I attended the Rice Experiment Station’s Centennial Field Day Celebration. It was a great celebration! A celebration of dreams and dedication: our ancestors who 100 years ago didn’t know what might become of rice in California, but they were inspired to begin the search to find out. A celebration of consistency and cooperation: investing … Continue reading “100 Years for a Moment: California Rice Experiment Station”

Water is valued greatly on our family farm and we have spent many years trying to improve the efficiency of our water use here. And this time of year is interesting in relation to water because we have about four to five inches of water in the field right now, but we’ll be harvesting these fields shortly.

Recently, the California Rice Commission released the Environmental Sustainability Report, highlighting the efforts rice growers are undertaking to enhance land use benefits and protect the environment. Included in the report is an analysis of water use by ricelands over the past 30 years. This historical analysis provides an excellent example of increasing and sustained efficient water management for the industry. In the 1980s, average per-acre water application for rice was approaching 6 acre-feet. By the mid-1990s, that number had dropped to below 5 acre-feet per acre and for the past decade, average water application is 4.1 acre-feet per acre.