http://www.knowacaliforniafarmer.com/blog KnowACalforniaFarmer.com Farmer Blog Thu, 13 Jun 2013 03:13:41 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5 http://www.knowacaliforniafarmer.com/blog/wordless-wednesday-introducing-princess-priscilla-piglet http://www.knowacaliforniafarmer.com/blog/wordless-wednesday-introducing-princess-priscilla-piglet#comments Thu, 13 Jun 2013 03:13:41 +0000 Megan Brown https://megraeb.wordpress.com/?p=5669 http://www.knowacaliforniafarmer.com/blog/wordless-wednesday-introducing-princess-priscilla-piglet/feed 0 http://www.knowacaliforniafarmer.com/blog/wordless-wednesday-happy-cows http://www.knowacaliforniafarmer.com/blog/wordless-wednesday-happy-cows#comments Thu, 30 May 2013 03:53:20 +0000 Megan Brown https://megraeb.wordpress.com/?p=5645 http://www.knowacaliforniafarmer.com/blog/wordless-wednesday-happy-cows/feed 0 http://www.knowacaliforniafarmer.com/blog/the-origin-of-the-term-bankout-wagon http://www.knowacaliforniafarmer.com/blog/the-origin-of-the-term-bankout-wagon#comments Tue, 28 May 2013 16:30:00 +0000 Dennis Lindberg, California Rice Farmer http://www.knowacaliforniafarmer.com/blog/?guid=bb9d6dd3403667a22b2427c1f7c6ee3f Rice grower Dennis Lindberg of Butte County describes how the term Bankout Wagon came to be. Bankout Wagons are used to haul newly harvested grain from rice fields to trailers.

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Dennis Lindberg has grown rice in Butte County for more than 70 consecutive years. He’s a well-known author and metal artist, taking scrap metal and creating beautiful animal sculptures. His civic work and love of community is evidenced by his being honored as “Outstanding Citizen of the 20th Century” by Lundberg Family Farms. He and his wife Charlotte have two children – Gary and Sherry. Gary farms with his father in the historic community of Richvale, which recently celebrated its centennial.
]]> http://www.knowacaliforniafarmer.com/blog/the-origin-of-the-term-bankout-wagon/feed 0 http://www.knowacaliforniafarmer.com/blog/getting-the-calves-ready-for-sale http://www.knowacaliforniafarmer.com/blog/getting-the-calves-ready-for-sale#comments Wed, 22 May 2013 18:08:10 +0000 Megan Brown http://thebeefjar.com/?p=5578 Continue reading →]]> http://www.knowacaliforniafarmer.com/blog/getting-the-calves-ready-for-sale/feed 0 http://www.knowacaliforniafarmer.com/blog/wordless-wednesday-my-view http://www.knowacaliforniafarmer.com/blog/wordless-wednesday-my-view#comments Thu, 16 May 2013 03:27:37 +0000 Megan Brown https://megraeb.wordpress.com/?p=5582 http://www.knowacaliforniafarmer.com/blog/wordless-wednesday-my-view/feed 0 http://www.knowacaliforniafarmer.com/blog/living-the-dream http://www.knowacaliforniafarmer.com/blog/living-the-dream#comments Tue, 14 May 2013 20:40:14 +0000 Megan Brown http://thebeefjar.com/?p=5576 Continue reading →]]> http://www.knowacaliforniafarmer.com/blog/living-the-dream/feed 0 http://www.knowacaliforniafarmer.com/blog/sowing-future-prosperity http://www.knowacaliforniafarmer.com/blog/sowing-future-prosperity#comments Wed, 08 May 2013 15:06:00 +0000 California Rice Commission http://www.knowacaliforniafarmer.com/blog/?guid=e753b7f3801e04f7f85d9a4a775c3b45 By Jim Morris

Drive through the Sacramento Valley these days and you very likely will see and hear airplanes seeding more than a half million acres of rice. I was able to witness an entirely different seeding method at the Rice Experiment Station in Biggs, which has provided growers with important research and varieties for a century.

The Experiment Station works with so many varieties in a relatively compact space that aerial seeding is out of the question. The closest thing that mimics the aerial seeding process is seeding by hand. With 40,000 different breeding lines this is no easy feat!

For more than 30 years, extra help in the form of skilled workers of Sikh descent have worked with researchers at the station to plant millions of seeds. The entire process takes a little more than a week and is fascinating to watch.

One of the starting steps is illustrated here by Baldish Deol, as seeds are soaked and carefully loaded into vials.

These seeds are planted one vial at a time in their specific part of the field- 60,000 rows in all!


Each vial has about 100 seeds, which represents one head of rice.

In addition there are 1,500 large plots, also planted with extreme care and by hand.



This work happens during an intense five-day period and is done with little outside attention but is part of the foundation of research that has helped this industry maintain its status as a reliable producer of premium quality rice.

Spring seeding is just one way the Rice Experiment Station maintains its role as an invaluable part of California rice production.  It’s a job where patience is a virtue, as it takes about a decade for a new rice variety to go from its first planting to commercial use.

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Jim Morris is Communications Manager for the California Rice Commission. Jim has worked in communications for more than 20 years. When he’s not on the job, he enjoys his family, faith, football, outrageous monster stories and running marathon]]> http://www.knowacaliforniafarmer.com/blog/sowing-future-prosperity/feed 1 http://www.knowacaliforniafarmer.com/blog/puppies-2013 http://www.knowacaliforniafarmer.com/blog/puppies-2013#comments Tue, 07 May 2013 02:43:35 +0000 Megan Brown https://megraeb.wordpress.com/?p=5570 Continue reading →]]> http://www.knowacaliforniafarmer.com/blog/puppies-2013/feed 0 http://www.knowacaliforniafarmer.com/blog/curveballs http://www.knowacaliforniafarmer.com/blog/curveballs#comments Mon, 06 May 2013 20:35:00 +0000 Sean Doherty, California Rice Farmer http://www.knowacaliforniafarmer.com/blog/?guid=1dc4ae7ddf051a14e115e63e4a6817c0 http://www.knowacaliforniafarmer.com/blog/curveballs/feed 0 http://www.knowacaliforniafarmer.com/blog/fun-ag-facts-xii http://www.knowacaliforniafarmer.com/blog/fun-ag-facts-xii#comments Fri, 03 May 2013 21:09:26 +0000 Megan Brown http://thebeefjar.com/?p=4873 Continue reading →]]> http://www.knowacaliforniafarmer.com/blog/fun-ag-facts-xii/feed 0