farming & ranching

Naturalist, educator and artist John Muir Laws explains three prompts he has found that could greatly enhance your nature observation.

Like many kids who grew up in rural communities in the 1980s, I learned to drive before I turned 16.  My folks, I think, approached the task of teaching me to drive with a mix of trepidation and happiness.  They were nervous about turning me ...

The Nature Conservancy's Sandi Matsumoto talks about the amazing sights along the Pacific Flyway.

I was invited to spend a few days helping out with lambing at McCormick Sheep and Grain in Rio Vista this week.  They are lambing out 1350 ewes (give or take a few) - much larger scale than our operation.  It's a beautiful place with an amazi...

By Paul Buttner As the wildlife guy for the California rice industry, I often draw the short straw by having to drive around and see all the beautiful wildlife that use California wildlife.  It's a tough job but somebody’s got to do it! &nb...

Local food and small-scale farming seem to fit hand-in-glove - folks interested in locally grown food want to buy from small, family-owned farms that are part of the community.  Small-scale farmers want (and need) to sell directly to consumers - s...

By Julie CaderJulie is Finance & Administration Manager for the California Rice Commission, and a big proponent of trying new recipes- especially if they feature California rice.This was worth taking a Friday afternoon off from work. A wine tasting...

Learn about how rice farmers deal with occasional wet weather during harvest season. Steve Butler farms rice with his son, Tom, in Sutter and Yolo Counties. They are the latest in a four-generation family commitment to farming.

Most people know the old slogan: “Happy cheese comes from happy cows, and happy cows come from California.” For the past few years, however, dairy farms have been struggling to keep afloat. The California dairy industry produced over 2 billion pounds of cheese in 2011. In fact, California ranked second in the nation for...

As I posted earlier this month, I hunted for deer for the first time in my life this fall.  With just two days left in the season, I don't think I'll get a buck.  On the other hand, I was reminded each time I hunted this month that there are ...