Blog post by Sean Doherty: Has spring finally sprung?

What a beautiful day/week this is going to be. The weather forecasters are calling for sustained dry weather and maybe, wait for it, 80 degrees on Wednesday. Halleleujah! The drying north winds are just starting, and are projected to last four days.


I should have tractors working in the fields already, but as you can see from this photo my corn field in front and rice field in back are just a little too wet to work right now. I do have other fields that I hope will dry much sooner and I can finally get spring planting started.

There are some other signs that spring is here too. The mallards are all pairing up and starting to build their nests in any green grass or cover they can find. I also have a killdeer that is hatching four eggs next to my driveway. They build their nests of rocks and their eggs are camouflaged to look like rocks, so my gravel driveway is perfect killdeer nesting habitat.

I’m hoping we've seen the last of the winter rains.

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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