Guest Blog Post: Family rice farm among the finalists for prestigious conservation award

Since 2006, Sand County Foundation, in partnership with the California Farm Bureau Federation and Sustainable Conservation, has identified outstanding landowner conservationists across California and recognized them with the Leopold Conservation Award (www.leopoldconservationaward.org). This year, we have the pleasure of adding a rice farmer, Al Montna, to the distinguished list of Leopold Conservation Award recipients.

Aldo Leopold believed that farmers and ranchers best understood how to nurture the land that gives so much back to them. His perspective is still relevant today. One simply needs to look at Al Montna and the two finalists for this year’s award, Bill and Kay Burrows and Tim Koopmann, to realize that improvements to grassland, water quality and wildlife habitat can, indeed, go hand in hand with a successful agricultural operation.

Al Montna’s operation consists of over 2,500 acres of specialty short grain rice in Sutter County. His remarkable commitment to the enhancement of natural resources has led him to implement several conservation practices on his land. Among other efforts, he helped pioneer the practice of knocking rice stubble down into the flooded fields, rather than burning it, which creates winter habitat for many wildlife species. This process allowed Montna Farms to bank and sell Emission Reduction Credits for added revenue. He also monitors the quantity and quality of water on his farm and utilizes laser leveling of his fields, which results in lower herbicide costs due to better water management. In 2008, Al built a solar power facility to offset energy usage at Montna Farms Rice Dryer.

Bill and Kay Burrows employ Holistic Management techniques in the operation of their ranch. They work to improve the biodiversity on their land, increasing the productivity of the soil, plants and animals. The Burrows run cattle, as well as meat goats and sheep for brush control. Bill and Kay also engage in community outreach, hosting an annual “Stewardship Day” at the ranch.

Tim Koopmann is a third generation rancher who owns and operates a cow-calf operation, which he has been able to maintain due to conservation easements that were the first of their kind in Alameda County. Koopmann was instrumental in the creation and implementation of a pioneering approach to watershed management, which has improved water quality in the Alameda Creek watershed, as well as San Francisco Bay.

You likely know someone who deserves to be recognized in this manner. I ask that you take the time to honor their good work by nominating them for a Leopold Conservation Award in 2011. You will be doing your part to ensure that agricultural and environmental success continues to flourish in California.

---

Brent M. Haglund, Ph.D., is President of Sand County Foundation.

From Decoy to Art, by Master Carver Jim Burcio

Decoy carving is an original American art form. As such, it comes from no other continent or culture. The modern bird carvings that we enjoy today originated from the hand carved decoy. The path from decoy to art had several historical steps. In the early days European settlers observed the Indians using reed decoys to attract waterfowl closer to the shoreline. The European woodcrafters knew that they could fashion a sturdy decoy out of wood and get years of use out of it. In 1918 the Migratory Bird Act greatly reduced the number of bird species that could be harvested, and imposed hunting seasons and harvest limits. In the late 1930’s plastic became the material of choice and lightweight decoys were mass-produced. As the plastic era signaled the end of the wooden hand carved hunting decoy, it repositioned the handcrafted decoy into a piece of art. Now carvers began spending more time on their creations and charging more money as these pieces of art were headed for the place of honor on the mantel.

Over time, decoy carving expanded to include all of the North American birds that fascinate us. Man, art, and birds have long been connected… with the native environment acting as the glue. We are very fortunate to live in Northern California and enjoy an abundance of native birds. With our coastline and our rice lands, we can enjoy migrating shorebirds from November to May.


Bird carving brings the artist one step closer than the binoculars and the spotting scope. When a bird carver observes a Snipe in the wild, they go beyond the basic identification of the bird to include that the bill is 2.75 inches long and commonly held at a 30 degree angle, the eyes are 7 millimeter brown, the tail is almost invisible and compressed, the shafts of the primaries form a slight “sweep” when they fold in the rest position. Bird carvers have a passion for their subject matter. So much so, that they literally are holding it in their hand as they carve the project. Some carvers, myself included, visit vertebrate zoology labs at bay area colleges to examine specimens held in storage. This level of research is sometimes needed when the bird is highly reclusive, such as the Green Heron.

The wood used for a carving project may be a functional choice, such as Sugar Pine for a smooth project or Basswood for a textured project. Other popular carving woods include Redwood, Jelutong, and Tupelo.

We are very fortunate to have an annual Wildfowl Art Festival held in Sacramento. This show attracts entries from all over the United States and Canada. For more information about this unique event and the carving association that hosts it, go to www.pacificflyway.org

---

Jim Burcio is a master carver and has competed nationally in wildfowl carving shows. He has been the featured carver at the Academy of Arts and Sciences in San Francisco (2001), the Lynn House Museum in Antioch (2002), and displayed his work in the McHenry Museum in Modesto (2006). Jim was also one of three carvers who preformed an “Artist in Action” exhibit at the Randall Museum in San Francisco (2004). For the past fifteen years, Jim has annually taught decoy-carving seminars, and judged at the Pacific Flyway Decoy Association’s Wildfowl Art Festival in Sacramento. In addition to his carving accomplishments, Jim has written several articles for the California Waterfowl Magazine regarding how to carve and paint decoys.

Thanksgiving blog post by Nicole Van Vleck: Holiday Traditions

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. My husband, Stan, and I adopted it as "ours" when we got married. Selfishly, we thought it would save us driving all over the Sacramento Valley for multiple Thanksgiving dinners.

Many of our traditions started from that first year. I have always set the table the weekend before. I prepare the turkey, which is locally raised by a friend. I prepare my mother-in-law's stuffing with walnuts from my parents' orchard. I must admit that I have always bought canned cranberries (until this year). Others always contribute to the feast; my father-in-law brings a Celebrations Salad with walnuts and fresh cranberries (to make up for my canned ones). My mom brings her famous mashed potatoes and my brother-in-law makes the gravy on the stove once the bird comes out.

Some new traditions have come about with the kids getting older. My daughter and I make pies the day before. My family and many of our friends participate in the Run to Feed the Hungry in Sacramento on Thanksgiving morning. We have to split up between the timed runners (my husband and son) and the lingering walkers (my daughter and me). It is a wonderful event to help feed those that need extra assistance and it draws participants from six Sacramento Valley counties. It also helps relieve the guilt later that evening when I go back for seconds.

Happy Thanksgiving to All!

---

Nicole Montna Van Vleck is a third generation rice farmer who farms with her parents and sister in Sutter County. Nicole is Managing Partner of Montna Farms which grows, dries and stores super premium short grain rice. Montna Farms partners with many waterfowl organizations to protect and enhance waterfowl habitat primarily on its working rice lands.

Nicole is a graduate of UCLA and The California Agricultural Leadership Program. Nicole and her husband Stan have two school-aged children.

New recipe by Chef Russell Michel ~ Slow braised beef short rib with Hoisin demi and California Koshihikari Rice

Russell Michel, Executive Chef at the Sheraton Hotel Sacramento and Morgan’s Central Valley Bistro, located on the 2nd floor, has 25 years of experience preparing California cuisine sharing his passion for great tasting food, beautiful presentations, and using natural foods that enhance vibrancy and rejuvenate the body.

View Recipe

Read more about Chef Russell

Blog post by Sean Doherty: Finally done

Rice harvest is done! If I never see another year like this one again it will be too soon. It seemed to be a perfect storm of bad spring, summer and fall weather, all in the same year. Thankfully I did not fare too badly, and I’m very grateful to have finished up harvest with few difficulties - and most importantly - no accidents.

Throughout the rice producing areas of the state I’ve heard the crop mostly faired okay with just a few disappointments. After such a trying year, to have this happen is quite a testament to the exceptional rice varieties we have in California. All of the credit belongs to the rice breeders and staff at the California Rice Experiment Station. If not for their varieties, a year like this could spell doom for growers like us.

All that is left now is to clean and put away all the equipment, and start in on the office work of budgets and expenses, and planning for next year.

New guest blog by Dr. Charles Duncan

Dr. Charles Duncan is Director of Manomet’s Shorebird Recovery Project (SRP) and of the Executive Office of WHSRN. Prior to joining Manomet in 2003, he worked for The Nature Conservancy’s Migratory Bird Program. He previously had a long career in academia at the University of Maine at Machias, where he founded and ran the Institute for Field Ornithology. In 2002, the American Birding Association honored him with the Chandler Robbins Award for Education and Conservation.

Read Blog

Video post by Michael Bosworth: Using water efficiently

---

Michael Bosworth is the latest in a long family farming history at Rue & Forsman Ranch, which started operations in 1946 in Sutter County about 10 miles south of Marysville.

After earning a Masters Degree in Agricultural Economics at UC Davis, Michael returned to his family farm, which produces both conventional and organic rice.

He created and operates Next Generation Foods, a growing business that provides locally grown foods to businesses throughout Northern California.

In his spare time, Michael enjoys fly-fishing, the outdoors and spending time with his family, girlfriend and his dog, Drake.

Blog post by Riley "Punch" Haskell: A season like no other

To my relief, we wrapped things up with Tuesday’s harvest of our last 91-acres.

This season will go down as the most unusual I’ve experienced since I planted my first rice in 1985. Because of the cool, wet weather, nothing in the planting or crop development was normal this year. Harvest normally takes me from 11 to 15 days and I am wrapped up by mid October. This season I didn’t even start until October. When you harvest rice later in the fall, the hours you are able to work each day become shorter and shorter. It takes more time and resources to finish the job.

It looks like my production will be off a bit from normal, but considering the strange nature of the season it could have been a lot worse. My heart really goes out to those growers who still have rice in the field.

We’re getting water in the fields to help decompose the straw, which will be welcome news to all of those beautiful migrating birds and other wildlife in the area. It’s also a time to get all of the harvesters and equipment back in, including any repairs and tune up work that may be necessary.

It’s nice to have harvest completed and have the pace slow down a beat, but I can’t help but think we’re only about 90 to 100 days away from starting this process all over again. This year certainly required a lot of patience to let Mother Nature take her course.

---

Punch Haskell grows rice in Colusa County and is part of a family farming operation that began approximately 60 years ago.

News Release: Major step taken to preserve historic Wakamatsu site

AMERICAN RIVER CONSERVANCY ACQUIRES FIRST JAPANESE COLONY SITE (view pdf)

New blogs from our California family farmers

The long season is coming to a close. Find out what our farmers are thinking:

Tom Butler-
"Good finish to a long season"

Josh Sheppard (Video)-
"Home stretch"

New post by Jessica Lundberg: Trade Mission Day 4: Putting our rice to the test

"This is our last day in Istanbul, Turkey with the USA Rice Leadership Program. The week has gone quickly and we have experienced so much..."

Read Jessica's Blog

FPPC Requirements

New section includes links to Ethics Training Courses for State Officials, and many helpful documents available for download.

Visit FPPC Requirements page.

"Visiting the Countryside" - New post by Jessica Lundberg: Middle East Trade Mission ~ Day 3

Follow Jessica on the Middle East Trade Mission in Instanbul, Turkey.

Jessica Lundberg chairs the Board of Directors of Lundberg Family Farms, the United States' leading producer of organic rice and rice products.

Go to Jessica's Blog

New post by Jessica Lundberg: Middle East Trade Mission ~ Day Two

Jessica Lundberg chairs the Board of Directors of Lundberg Family Farms, the United States' leading producer of organic rice and rice products. Follow her journey through Istanbul, Turkey for the Middle East Trade mission.

Go to Jessica's Blog

New post by Jessica Lundberg: Middle East Trade Mission ~ Day One

Jessica Lundberg chairs the Board of Directors of Lundberg Family Farms, the USA’s leading producer of organic rice and rice products. She is in Instanbul, Turkey for a Middle East Trade Mission.

Go to Jessica's Blog

Harvest update- Reports from California rice farmers

Check out the latest progress reports from local California rice farmers.

Dennis Lindberg - "Another season in the books"

Michael Bosworth (Video)- "Late start but progress being made in CA rice harvest"