California farmers are no strangers to drought, although the magnitude of this, a third straight dry year , has widespread and significant impacts in Sacramento Valley rice country and nearby communities. A lack of adequate rain above Shasta Dam has brought historic water cutbacks to growers on the west side of the Sacramento Valley, with a major reduction in rice plantings. This contrasts the east side of the valley, where rice acreage is expected to be normal to potentially above normal. Full ...
May 15, 2022•17 min•Season 1Ep. 34
Many travelers heading north on Interstate 5 or Highway 99 only get a fleeting glimpse of the Sacramento Valley. However, those who know this region understand and appreciate how unique and valuable it is. The Sacramento Valley is an impressive patchwork of farms and communities, living and working in harmony with the environment. A worsening drought has led to major water cutbacks. Farmers will grow less and the communities with agriculture as their foundation will be impacted. Local officials ...
Apr 20, 2022•14 min•Season 2Ep. 33
A third straight drought year poses major challenges for California’s environment, cities and farms. While cooperation, collaboration and innovation are needed in the short term, many feel a major part of the long-term water solution is additional storage. A remote area on the west side of the Sacramento Valley could be a big part of the solution. Sites Reservoir has been debated for decades, and getting this critical addition to water infrastructure appears more likely than ever. One major deve...
Mar 29, 2022•11 min•Season 2Ep. 32
Since fundamental changes were made to the way rice straw is managed following harvest in the early 1990s, Sacramento Valley rice country has steadily grown as a vital rest and refuel stop for millions of birds. Local rice fields not only provide habitat for nearly 230 wildlife species, the value of rice fields for the environment is proving to be even greater during drought years, because there is less water on the landscape and fewer habitat options. What's next for the environmental crop? If ...
Mar 12, 2022•13 min•Season 2Ep. 31
For all of the high-tech advancements California is famous for, one part of the state’s infrastructure – providing enough water for its environment, cities and farms – is lacking. It has been more than four decades since the last major water storage facility was built in the Golden State, and our total population has nearly doubled since that time. Proposed for the west side of the Sacramento Valley, Sites Reservoir provides an opportunity to dramatically boost water storage capability, which wo...
Feb 15, 2022•21 min•Season 2Ep. 30
A generation ago, it may have seemed far-fetched that Sacramento Valley rice fields could play a vital role for millions of birds. However, changes in rice growing methods in the early 1990s – a shift from burning fields after harvest to adding a few inches of water to break down leftover rice straw - led to just such an occurrence. Area rice fields are now home to nearly 230 wildlife species, including 7 to 10 million ducks and geese every fall and winter. The ‘surrogate wetlands’ are now cruci...
Jan 11, 2022•12 min•Season 2Ep. 29
Winter is approaching, and that will soon translate into the arrival of millions of birds to the rice fields and wildlife refuges in the Sacramento Valley. For many, including Suzy Crabtree, it’s a magical time. Suzy has visited Gray Lodge Wildlife Area in Butte County thousands of times over the years, to photograph the amazing array of ducks, geese, shorebirds, raptors and other animals there. “There’s so many things to see there,” she remarked. “We find it to be a place of refuge and solace. ...
Dec 12, 2021•18 min•Season 2Ep. 28
It took longer than normal, but fortunately it is happening. A shallow amount of water is showing up in rice fields throughout the Sacramento Valley – essentially a welcome mat for the 10 million ducks, geese and other wildlife migrating through our area for their annual Pacific Flyway journey. This year was the driest in a century in California. The water shortage led to about 100,000 fewer acres of rice planted in the Sacramento Valley . It also threatened to leave many rice fields without a s...
Nov 02, 2021•14 min•Season 2Ep. 27
Water has long been a contentious subject in California. As the nation’s most populous state, leading the nation in farm production and a state dedicated to environmental protection, it’s easy to understand why. The severe, ongoing drought only puts a greater focus on water. While there’s hope for a wet fall and winter, Sacramento Valley water managers and other stakeholders are doing what they can to prepare for all outcomes. Teamwork and coordination are invaluable, especially during difficult...
Oct 03, 2021•25 min•Season 2Ep. 26
Even during difficult times like we’ve been experiencing, it helps to look for the positive. In Sacramento Valley rice country – two positives are unfolding. After a difficult year where drought left 20 percent of fields unplanted , harvest of America’s sushi rice is underway and early reports are favorable. Although acreage is down, initial reports on quality and yields look strong. “We’re about thirty percent down from the total acreage that we can plant,” said Everett Willey, who farms with h...
Sep 08, 2021•15 min•Season 2Ep. 25
What is shaping up as the most significant drought in decades has impacted much of the West. A lack of adequate rain, sizzling temperatures and a snowpack that all but vanished have led to major cutbacks in surface water deliveries, including to Sacramento Valley rice fields. This year’s rice acreage is about 20 percent lower than normal as a result. A massive challenge is fast approaching. There’s a growing concern that there will be little water on the landscape after harvest. That water helps...
Jul 19, 2021•17 min•Season 2Ep. 24
The driest year in decades has been a jolt to much of California. Challenges extend beyond cities and farms, as wildlife is impacted by a sharp drop in habitat. One saving grace in the Sacramento Valley is the continued creativity and collaboration between rice growers and conservation groups. Millions of ducks depend on areas rice fields and adjacent wetlands, and there is a concerted effort to help them make it through the drought. One helpful program from the California Ricelands Waterbird Fo...
Jul 01, 2021•15 min•Season 2Ep. 23
The driest year California has experienced since the 1970s will have wide-ranging impacts in the West. In the Sacramento Valley, a reduced water supply will lead to about a 20 percent reduction in rice plantings. The loss of about 100,000 acres of rice fields has implications well beyond the farm level. The reduced plantings will impact rural communities that depend on agriculture as their foundation. It’s also a concern for wildlife, which greatly depend on rice fields for their habitat . Fortu...
May 31, 2021•20 min•Season 2Ep. 22
The coming weeks will be busy in the Sacramento Valley, as highly-skilled pilots plant this year’s rice crop. Farmers are no stranger to challenges, and this year is no different. Below-par rain and snowfall have led to water cutbacks of at least 25 percent valley wide, which will lead to an as yet undetermined drop in rice plantings. “There are a lot of fields that won’t be planted on my farm and throughout the state because of a lack of water,” said Sean Doherty, rice grower in Dunningan. “Tha...
May 01, 2021•30 min•Season 2Ep. 21
Taro Arai has an electric personality. As Chief Dreaming Officer for Mikuni , with nine popular restaurants and sushi bars in Northern California, his enthusiasm and generosity are well known throughout the region. But it wasn’t an easy road to success. After arriving from Japan, the Arai family opened their first Mikuni restaurant in 1987. Reverend and Mrs. Arai prepared food in the kitchen, while Taro and siblings Noamichi and Keiko worked as greeter, busser and server. After a lot of hard wor...
Apr 19, 2021•7 min
Tractors are working ground in the Sacramento Valley, as the 2021 rice season is underway. Whether it’s farmers, those in cities or for the environment, this year will pose challenges due to less than ideal rain and snowfall during the fall and winter. At Montna Farms near Yuba City, Vice President of Operations Jon Munger said they expect to plant about one-third less rice this year, based on water cutbacks. As water is always a precious resource in this state, rice growers work hard to be as e...
Mar 31, 2021•23 min•Season 2Ep. 20
Sushi is often a high culinary art form and its popularity continues to grow. Since the countries first sushi roll was served in Little Tokyo Los Angeles in the 1960s, is has grown into a multi-billion dollar a year industry. Interest in the cuisine is fueled by creative chefs, who push boundaries and take painstaking steps to ensure the best customer experience. One example is Billy Ngo, founder, chef and partner of Kru Restaurant in Sacramento , whose innovation and emphasis on quality has gar...
Feb 28, 2021•26 min•Season 2Ep. 19
Chances are you may never have visited Richvale or even heard of it. This small town south of Chico and west of Oroville in Butte County boasts a population of 244. This is quintessential rice country, with the community surrounded by rice fields and allied businesses, where many of their streets are named after rice varieties. It’s also where the Rystrom family has farmed for generations. Before Peter took up farming full time, he graduated from UC Davis with an International Relations and Span...
Jan 31, 2021•24 min•Season 2Ep. 18
It’s a miraculous journey done every year. An estimated 1.2 million snow geese are part of the annual Pacific Flyway migration, traveling thousands of miles as they head south for the fall and winter. Fortunately, the Sacramento Valley provides just what is needed for these boisterous birds to rest and refuel. Rice fields provide more than 60 percent of the fall and winter diet for these hearty travelers, as well as the flocks of migrating ducks. “The Sacramento Valley, I don’t think you can ove...
Jan 03, 2021•14 min•Season 2Ep. 17
Insufficient investment in water storage has brought about an almost yearly struggle in California, and another dry start to the rainy season is cause for concern. A big part of the solution to inadequate water storage may come a project that has been debated for more than half a century – Sites Reservoir, which would be built in rural Colusa and Glenn Counties. Sites Reservoir is the largest surface storage facility proposed to be added to California's water supply system since New Melones Rese...
Dec 10, 2020•34 min•Season 2Ep. 16
Their journey is long and exhausting. For those who follow their travels, it’s exhilarating. Every fall and winter, the Sacramento Valley becomes a key rest and refuel stop for millions of birds, as part of their annual migration along the Pacific Flyway, a wildlife highway in the sky. Immediately after harvest, a shallow amount of water is added to rice fields, which quickly become home for ducks, geese, swans, cranes, shorebirds, Bald Eagles and many other migrating wildlife. Generations ago, ...
Nov 19, 2020•19 min•Season 2Ep. 15
Like clockwork every fall and winter, Sacramento Valley rice country welcomes millions of visitors. They’re here for several months, to rest and refuel, before continuing on their epic annual journey. The millions of visitors are ducks, geese, shorebirds and many other birds that make the annual trek along the Pacific Flyway. Some come from as far north as Alaska and the Arctic and travel as far south as Chile and Argentina. A fantastic way to view our seasonal visitors are wildlife refuges, and...
Oct 29, 2020•24 min•Season 2Ep. 14
Before your sushi roll or rice bowl, there’s a team effort to grow, harvest, mill and ship the fundamental ingredient – California rice. Fall is a busy time in the Sacramento Valley, with GPS-guided harvesters bringing in more than four billion pounds of grain from a half-million acres of rice fields. In Colusa County, America’s largest rice-growing area, Kim Gallagher continues the family tradition of her father and grandfather. Rice quality and production continue to rise, thanks to hard work,...
Sep 27, 2020•24 min•Season 2Ep. 13
California has long been a place with great scenery, diversity and creativity. Even with a challenging 2020, there are great places and interesting people hard at work. John Bartell, a reporter for ABC 10-TV in Sacramento, has spent years chronicling the hidden gems of our state in Bartell’s Backroads , where he “uncovers unique sights and interesting people you might not find in the typical tour book.” Some of the topics John has covered include harvesting Sea Monkeys (brine shrimp in Mono Lake...
Aug 30, 2020•17 min•Season 1Ep. 12
Head north of Sacramento along any of the major freeways, you’ve likely seen the lush green rice fields with ubiquitous wildlife such as herons, hawks, and egrets. What may surprise you is just how diverse the rice field ecosystem is – and the unseen giants at home in those fields. Nearly 230 wildlife species depend on Sacramento Valley rice fields for food and a resting place, including the giant gartersnake , a threatened species. Although it has “giant” in its name, this creature is, at most,...
Jul 23, 2020•15 min•Season 1Ep. 11
The lush green color you see in the Sacramento Valley during summer is from a half-million acres of young rice fields. Those fields are not only beautiful to see, their ecosystem is impressive in its abundance and diversity. “Rice ecosystems are fascinating marshes maintained by human beings,” said naturalist, artist and educator John Muir Laws. “Many of the birds have adopted these. You look at them – there’s shallow water and green plants growing out of them. That’s a great place to find food....
Jun 26, 2020•14 min•Season 1Ep. 10
It’s an annual occurrence throughout the Sacramento Valley; something countless motorists have seen while heading north of Sacramento – skilled pilots flying high-speed, GPS-guided airplanes, planting rice over a half-million acres of fields. Rick Richter of Richter Aviation in Maxwell, Colusa County, has been seeding rice fields since 1979. It’s not only his profession, it’s also a great passion for him. “It’s so rewarding to see that rice come up,” Richter remarked. “It’s a beautiful green wit...
May 14, 2020•11 min•Season 1Ep. 9
Tractors are working ground, airplanes are flying and mills are in full production, marking another busy spring in Sacramento Valley rice country. There are marked differences this year compared to recent history, starting with the weather. A dryer spring has enabled growers to get a much earlier start on working ground for planting. “We're probably two-and-a-half, maybe close to three weeks ahead of where we were last year,” remarked grower Mike DeWit. “I don't know what a normal year is anymor...
Apr 17, 2020•8 min•Season 1Ep. 8
In less than a minute, a large group of young salmon were released into the Sacramento River, en route to the Pacific Ocean. These were no ordinary fish. Equipped with small transmitters, these baby salmon are part of a pilot project by the California Rice Commission and UC Davis. Grown in rice fields of Yolo County, scientists hope to find ways that the farm-raised fish will add to the dwindling wild salmon population. This is part of a larger effort to reconnect the Sacramento Valley flood pla...
Apr 01, 2020•10 min•Season 1Ep. 7
Rice fields in the Sacramento Valley are remarkably productive and versatile. From spring into fall, they produce virtually all of America’s sushi rice. In the fall and winter, those same fields are home to millions of birds. What’s next? A promising pilot project could help inform us as to how rice fields can help restore dwindling salmon populations. Throughout the Sacramento Valley, researchers are studying the prospect of reconnecting the historic flood plain, through getting the ‘bug buffet...
Mar 03, 2020•17 min•Season 1Ep. 6
