Blog post by Sean Doherty: Red Light, Green Light

I don't want to hear a single disparaging word about the north wind. Here’s why: Remember the kid’s game "Red Light, Green Light?” I’ve been playing a real life version since my last posting.

The rice that took forever to mature is - surprise surprise- taking forever to dry down. The warehouses up and down the valley typically don't like to receive rice with the moisture of the kernels over 24 percent because it is to costly and labor intensive to dry to a stable 14 percent level.

For the last two weeks I’ve been cutting samples of different fields hoping for a number under 24 percent. When I have found that rare field, I would start the harvest only to be shut down soon after as the moisture climbs back up in a different portion of the field. Green Light, Red Light.

The big hot north wind currently blowing through the valley is just what the doctor ordered to solve this ongoing problem. Nothing will dry a rice field down faster than a north wind, and I love every minute of it because it means the end of all the starting and stopping.

Hopefully.

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Sean Doherty is a 3rd generation rice farmer living out his dream, being a rice farmer in Dunnigan.

He farms in Yolo, Colusa, and Sutter Counties with his wife Melissa, and three kids, Hannah, Gus, and Mary. He enjoys being in the fields, watching the seasons, and sharing it with his family.

Read more about Sean in Rice Farming magazine