farming & ranching

By Luis EspinoI recently read an interesting article that forecasts the production of greenhouse gases (GHG) from ricelands by the end of the 21st century1. The authors used data from 63 studies conducted in 30 different locations in 8 different countr...

Rice Grower Don Bransford of Colusa County updates progress on this year's harvest. Don Bransford: This fourth-generation family farmer has grown rice in Colusa County since 1980. Don has a long history of service to the community and agriculture, in...

I was able to finish my rice harvest over the weekend.  It was a great fall with close to ideal conditions.  The first thing that I think of as another harvest is done is a sense of relief.  To me the rice harvest is the fun part of the ...

In my ongoing effort to make sense of the challenges we've faced in building our small commercial sheep ranch, I keep running up against the question of scale.  Starting small makes sense (small mistakes are less costly, for one thing), but at som...

By Phil RobertsonHalf a million acres of California rice fields provide the highest quality rice to the world market, feeding not only millions of people but also millions waterfowl that migrate to and through our great state.  As I write this the...

By Jim MorrisHaving lived my entire life in the Sacramento Valley, coupled with more than 20 years working with farmers, I have seen a lot of interesting sites on the roads less traveled in the North State.  I consider a recent encounter in Yuba C...

Rice grower Charley Mathews Jr. describes the latest activity on the 2012 harvest. Fifth-generation farmer Charley Mathews is continuing a family a legacy that began in the 1850s. Their first rice fields were planted in the 1940s and are still going...

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.Wikipedia describes being an entrepreneur as one who undertakes innova...

Naturalist and Artist John Muir Laws provides an update on new artwork depicting wildlife in California rice fields. fields.

I almost can’t believe it’s the middle of October already. It doesn’t seem that long ago when the weather was really heating up. Now it’s getting a bit cooler and harvest has just started. Unfortunately, it hasn’t been an easy start. Due to l...