New Guest Blog- America's Heartland covers California Rice

By Jason Shoultz

I have the privilege of traveling the country as a reporter for the public television program America's Heartland.  My travels have taken me to farms and ranches across the United States.  From historic produce farms in Massachusetts to cattle ranches in the rolling Colorado hills, it has been an amazing journey.  So finding a great story within a few miles of home was a nice surprise.

As an Iowa native, I was only somewhat familiar with California's rice industry until my family moved to Sacramento in 2004.  Then I found out that California rice is used for sushi from coast to coast! Not only is that something to brag about, it's pretty useful trivia when dining on sushi with friends and family from Iowa to Connecticut!   And when I discovered (in a Sacramento Bee article) that California rice also gets turned into sake, I knew it would make a great story for our national audience.

With the help of Jim Morris at the California Rice Commission, we ended up at the DeWit rice farm on a beautiful October morning, to visit with grower Jack DeWit and his son, Mike.  After learning about the DeWit's farming background I discovered a connection even closer than the sushi that I eat!  It turns out my home sits on ground once owned by the DeWit family.  If my thumb was slightly greener I would try to grow some rice in my backyard!

We also visited the Farmers Rice Cooperative at the Port of West Sacramento where the rice gets processed by the ton!  I am always amazed at the efficiency of operations like this one.  When you are moving that much grain you can't afford down time.

Our story wouldn't be complete without a visit to the Takara USA sake factory in Berkeley, which is on the site of a former dairy processor.  And true to form, with sake - some like it cold and some like it hot.  Of course the interests of good reporting required sampling various sake drinks at Sacramento's 2011 Sakefest.   I believe the story will give our viewers on public television and RFD-TV an entertaining and educational look into a beverage that has California rice at its key ingredient.

There are few things better than discovering new things, and when you make those discoveries close to home, well that's something to drink to!

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Jason Shoultz is a Producer/Reporter with the PBS television program America’s Heartland. Follow him on Twitter at: @jasonshoultz.   Be sure to watch their upcoming feature story on California rice and sake, debuting Wednesday, February 1.  For more information on the show, follow them on Twitter at: @aheartland or at: www.americasheartland.org.

New CRC Blog- Winging it in Galt

By Jim Morris, California Rice Commission Communications Manager

Some of the best things to see in Northern California this time of the year are straight overhead.   So many times, our family will stop our activity to look overhead and marvel at a cackling V formation of Canada Geese or catch a glimpse of a large flock of migrating Sandhill Cranes way off in the stratosphere.

For a fun weekend trip, we checked out the Galt Winter Bird Festival at McCaffrey Middle School, a short drive south of Sacramento off of Highway 99.

Our day started off before sunrise, with wife Leslie joining 40 nature loving photographers on a behind the scenes tour of the Cosumnes River Preserve. Leslie was able to use a ginormous 600-millimeter lens provided by Canon and got this shot of Sandpipers in all of their jubilance.

The festival was well run and included something for all ages. Corky Quirk from NorCalBats provided a lot of interesting information about bats in the Sacramento Valley, a really cool and underappreciated mammal.

There were two different displays to learn about keeping our watersheds clean, plus wildlife artists with their works on display and a fun exhibit where you could dissect an owl pellet and learn more about their diet.

Speakers including Monica Iglecia of Audubon California and Khara Strum of PRBO Conservation Science, who addressed the important role Sacramento Valley rice fields play in maintaining healthy shorebird populations.

Add in interactive duck call lessons from Ducks Unlimited, art and crafts booths and a faux campfire to make your own complimentary S’mores and it was a fun and full day.  Best of all this is a free event, so keep next year’s Galt Winter Bird Festival in mind, or the extremely popular Snow Goose Festival in Chico.  Our organization is pleased to sponsor these festivals, as they are an important way for nature lovers to unite and celebrate how blessed we are to have those wondrous flocks of birds right in our backyard!

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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 marathons

New CRC Blog- Soup's On!

By Julie Cader


Julie is Finance & Administration Manager for the California Rice Commission, and a big proponent of trying new recipes- especially if they feature California rice. 

My daughter, Jaime, and I are always testing new recipes. Jaime wanted to create a healthy twist on Tom Kha Coconut Soup. Combining light coconut milk, fish sauce, garlic, scallions, ginger, basil, cilantro, lemongrass and pieces of Alaskan salmon, she complemented the delectable Thai soup with soft and delicious California White Jasmine rice, an aromatic and exotic long grain rice that filled her kitchen with a wonderful delicate scent.

After we voraciously consumed the meal, we treated ourselves to tropical mango smoothies that had a taste that took us straight back to the islands!

New video- Snowy Egret goes on a tractor ride on a rice farm

This Snowy Egret hitched a ride on a tractor at a family rice farm in the Sacramento Valley.  Seeking warmth from a cold day, the bird took several rides on the tractor before flying away. 

New- Egret riding on a tractor video

This Snowy Egret hitched a ride on a tractor at a family rice farm in the Sacramento Valley.  Seeking warmth from a cold day, the bird took several rides on the tractor before flying away. 

New Sean Doherty Blog- The Heart of it all

One of the benefits of being a rice farmer is having winter off. Well not really off because we still do some work in the shop getting the machinery ready for the spring. But generally speaking it’s a very welcome, slow time of year. I particularly enjoy these few rainy days we've had- at home with my feet up and a fire in the fireplace.

The reason that these days are so enjoyable is because of my wife Melissa. She is the most important person on our farm, which is quite an understatement. How she manages to simultaneously take care of us and put up with me is a wonder!


She doesn't enjoy a winter off. Spring and fall she is almost, but not quite, a single parent. Summers are spent with our wonderfully exuberant children. Any parent will understand the last part. My worries about our farm are her worries, although it never shows. She just reassures, and encourages me. She is center of our family, making our house a home, and our farm growing.


I can't imagine it's any different across the farms of the Central Valley. Being the spouse of a farmer is very challenging. I just want to make sure it does not go unappreciated or unmentioned.

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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

Ag Truck Owners- Reporting Deadline Extension Notice

Please remember that annual mileage reporting is required for all trucks enrolled in the Air Resources Board’s (ARB) Agricultural Truck Program.

Due to the fact that ARB’s web-based reporting system is not yet up and running, the ARB has extended the January 31 reporting deadline to March 30, 2012.

Keep in mind that the mileage you will eventually report into the ARB’s system will be based on the odometer reading from January 1, 2012. You will need to log on to www.arb.ca.gov prior to March 30, 2012 to report your mileage.

Guest video- Colusa County Plant turns rice hulls into clean energy

Russ Hopper of Enpower Management Corp provides information on the Wadham Energy Plant near Williams, which burns rice hulls and creates electricity for tens of thousands of homes and businesses in Northern California.

Blog by Mike Daddow- California Rice and the Aloha State

Hawaiians love their California Calrose, and that’s wonderfully apparent for this vacationing rice farming family.

Pallets of California Calrose are everywhere, including Walgreens, Safeway, Longs, and all the local Hawaiian markets.

Hawaiians seem to eat rice at every meal and it is found on almost all restaurant menus we’ve come across. Most menus here in Oahu list sides in this order: "rice, white or brown, french fries, mashed potatoes,” even for breakfast, and looking around that is what the locals prefer. One of the Hawaiians favorite breakfasts is the Loco Moco, which consists of a bowl of rice with a hamburger patty on top, topped with an egg and then smothered in brown gravy, yummy. I have had a Loco Moco before but today had the sausage, egg, rice combo pictured here.



While sightseeing around north shore on Oahu, we had lunch at one of the famous Shrimp Trucks featured on "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives.” The lunch was amazing and I bet you can guess what was included with the garlic shrimp plate I chose - two big scoops of California Calrose!

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Mike Daddow ~ Farming in Sutter and Yolo Counties, Mike is the fourth generation of his family to grow rice in California. His great grandfather served as an engineer in Natomas and is credited with helping lay out the irrigation system for the region. Mike graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with two Bachelor of Science Degrees. He and his wife Susan have three boys – Max, Sam and Alex - who all help out on the farm when they can. When he isn’t growing rice, Mike puts his pilot’s license to good use.

Wet weather a welcome sight

Finally some rain has fallen in the Sacramento Valley. This time of the year it’s only good news for rice farmers to see rain in the valley and snow in the higher elevations. 

During this unseasonably dry stretch, many growers and myself were able to get a lot of outdoor work done, including laser leveling of some fields – which helps ensure we are most efficient with water. With the sunny days, we’ve also had opportunity for equipment repair and maintenance. 

From the look of my area, migrating birds have really enjoyed the winter. I can’t recall seeing larger congregations of ducks and geese. At the nearby Delevan National Wildlife Refuge, there have been hundreds of thousands of birds as well. 

Now that we have finally had some rainfall, we have battened down the hatches of our grain bins to make sure that the rough rice harvested last fall remains pristine. 

I hope the rain keeps falling, so it can fill up our reservoirs. Once we get to late March, however, it would be nice to shift back to drier conditions. That’s when we make final preparations for planting our next rice crop. 

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

Appreciating Owls close up

By Lori Heggen, California Rice Commission

This is the first in an occasional series of blogs from Lori, who works with California family rice farmers and millers. 


Raptors and especially owls are my daughter’s favorite bird.  Brenna draws them, writes stories and talks about them all the time.   So, when I found out about the Northern Saw-Whet Owl monitoring program, I emailed the founder and Project Director, Dawn Garcia, immediately.  Dawn is so great at sharing her love of birds and readily allowed us to observe banding these adorable owls.

Our night of banding started with setting up nets.  The “bait” was recorded Saw-Whet calls.  After setting up the nets, we retreated to await a capture.  The banding team (Dawn, Julie and Jo) talked to Brenna about owls and kept my usually reserved 12 year-old chatty.  It wasn’t long and we started hearing soft calls of Saw-Whets.  Every half hour we would go and check the nets.  It took three times, but at last there they were - three little winged creatures in the nets.  They were all carefully removed and put into little sacks to await new bands.    Each in turn was carefully measured, weighed, inspected and banded.   I couldn’t believe how well they took to people handling them.  They didn’t wiggle, fight or bite.  They would just look at us with those big round eyes.  I guess, thinking, “please don’t eat me!”  After photos were taken and records were made, they were put back in their sacks to allow their eyes to readjust to the dark.  After a few minutes (and all lights off) they were released back to the air.  It was magical!

I did this for my daughter.  But, I learned so much and fell in love with these little balls of feathers!

The Altacal Audubon Society and CSU Chico Reserves fund the NSWO banding program and all three of the banding team are participating as field trip leaders in different classes for the Snow Goose Festival held later this month.  The Saw-Whet field trip is sold out, but we will be there taking another class on owls!  BirdBling.blogspot.com

There’s more wildlife to see throughout the Sacramento Valley, where you’ll find nearly 230 wildlife species in rice fields and adjacent wetlands.

Guest video- Yolo Group helps students learn about nature

Yolo Basin Foundation Executive Director Robin Kulakow describes how the Yolo Basin helps thousands of schoolchildren learn about their natural environment.

CRC blog post- Culinary Tour of Hawaii, Part Three

By Julie Cader

Julie is Finance & Administration Manager for the California Rice Commission.  This is the third in an occasional series of blog posts about California rice cuisine.  It’s her first trip to Hawaii in many years, where California rice is extremely popular.

A golfer's paradise combined with a foodie's paradise. Life is good!

Our adventures this morning took us to nearby Kapalua's Pineapple Hill overlooking the majestic golf greens of The Bay Course and groves of beautiful Norfolk pines.

Voted Maui Restaurant of the Year 2009-2011, the Pineapple Grill at Kapalua Resort is the local’s favorite place, relaxed but upscale. Our server, David, recommended we try the Loco Moco. We were in for a real treat!

On top of two scoops of Calrose rice was 1/2 pound of Maui-raised beef from the Maui Cattle Company, two free range Kapalua organic eggs, G-Man's jalapeño-Portuguese sausage gravy (plus an extra side of yummy gravy), the Loco Moco was truly an Island favorite!

The Pineapple Grill combined a menu to delight the senses of this foodie and an easy-going atmosphere where we all felt at home on our last day in the Islands. Mahalo.

New photo album

Visit the CRC facebook page to view aerial photos taken of wildlife in California ricelands.

Click here!

Community Pride alive and well in Maxwell

It’s a new year, with new resolutions, new opportunities, and here in Maxwell new fundraisers.

Times can be tough nowadays, especially when involving budgets. Unfortunately, due to budget cuts, our Ag shop classes at our highschool were threatened with cutbacks. This meant there would be no more wood, metal, or any advanced shop classes, which students and the community could not imagine Maxwell High School without.

In my last blog I mentioned a new fundraiser we would be trying in order to help our Ag Shop classes. Our new creative fundraiser was the “Rice Run!” Students enrolled in any type of Ag class showed up to help our plan take place.  We decorated a rice trailer with posters, signs, and balloons. We would then go to different fields to collect as much rice as we could, hence “Rice Run.”


Our rice trailer then led our rice run journey to different rice fields in Maxwell and Williams. Students who could drive and our FFA advisors followed in pick-ups closely behind. We stopped at local rice farmers’ fields harvesting at the time and asked if they would like to donate any rice to be put into our trailer. We explained that we would use the money from all the rice we collected in the rice trailer to help save our Ag shop classes. All the rice farmers we asked were all very generous and donated some of their rice crop to our fundraiser. After we asked a farmer, he would send the bankout our way and it would help fill up our trailer.  At the end of the day it was a fun way to help the shop program and we appreciated the donations very much.

Our community in Maxwell is absolutely amazing! Another huge act of generosity was shown when members of our community and local farmers helped turn empty fields behind the school that belonged to the Ag Department into rice fields that’s rice could be harvested and used to help support the Ag Shop as well. Not only did the community help prepare and clean out the field, their time and energy, but also the rice seed and fertilizers. I know that the Ag students at Maxwell immensely appreciated it. Our last newest fundraiser was our New Year’s Gala.

Ag students helped set up for the event by making table decorations, flyers, collecting raffle items for the auction, creating the programs for the event, serving as auction runners, and cleaning up after the event. Our New Year’s Gala included dinner, a band, and an auction. Overall the event went fantastically and we raised about $30,000, which absolutely thrilled us! Our teachers and students all appreciate and thank our community for everything they do for us. Without them, we’re not sure what we would do!

As for the rice fields today, many are flooded and filled with tons of ducks and geese, which is always a pretty sight to see. Basketball season has started and the Maxwell Panthers are doing great! We recently defeated a big rival, which was a huge win for us.

I hope everyone is enjoying watching the birds and is having a happy new year!

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Lauren LaGrande is the latest in a family farming tradition that began nearly 100 years ago. She is a sophomore at Maxwell High School and is active in FFA, Future Business Leaders of America, volleyball, basketball and softball.  When she’s on the farm, you’ll often see her with her trusted companion, Hank, the family dog.  Lauren’s great-grandfather grew his first rice crop in the Sacramento Valley in 1916 and the family has continued this tradition ever since.

CRC blog- Hawaiian Cuisine often has a California-grown ingredient

By Julie Cader

Julie is Finance & Administration Manager for the California Rice Commission.  This is the second in an occasional series of blog posts about California rice cuisine.  It’s her first trip to Hawaii in many years, where California rice is extremely popular.

Aloha from Maui!

Our travels today took us to one of the best-known fish taco restaurants in Kihei. Rated 2010 Top Maui Restaurant, and known for their healthy dishes and unique ambiance, Coconut's Fish Café prepared the best fish tacos we've ever had, served local-style with California brown rice. After we ordered at the counter, we enjoyed our meal on Coconut's one-of-a-kind surfboard tables.

Welcomed by owner Mike Phillips, we were honored to be introduced to well-known Hawaiian, Kimokeo Kapahulehua, as seen in the attached photo.  With his passion for canoe voyaging and mission of responsible stewardship, land preservation, respect for the sea and Hawaiian ancestors, "Uncle Kimokeo" is a pillar of the Maui community. The painting in the background truly reflects Kimokeo's aloha spirit.

If you are looking for a quick and easy lunch or dinner, try Coconut's Fish Café in the Azeka Mauka Center at 1279 South Kihei Road. Tell Mike we said
Aloha!


Ending the Day in Kihei

After spending the afternoon hiking to the Iao Needle, a natural rock pinnacle rising 2,250 feet high in the Iao Valley, we wanted to witness the Kihei sunset, a beautiful way to end the day on the islands. We chose LuLu's Maui, a fun, open-air, family restaurant to capture this surreal moment in time.

Greeted by our server, Jocelyn, we sipped on Mai Tai's and enjoyed great food, including fresh local fish, fresh Maui grown produce and California Calrose rice. The restaurant menu at LuLu's blends traditional Hawaiian meals, dishes from the Pacific Rim, and favorites from an American café.

Not to be missed, LuLu's is located just off South Kihei Road up on the 2nd floor of Kihei Kalama Village, directly across from the Kalama Beach Park and the Pacific Ocean.

Mahalo.

Encouraging Armstrong & Getty on the phrase “Sushi Chef”

Americans love sushi, but saying sushi chef can be challenging. Watch the end for a surprise sushi great- Taro Arai of Mikuni!



Listen for California Rice commercials on Armstrong & Getty, weekday mornings on Talk 650 KSTE.

Guest blog- A thousand foot view of California Rice

By Brian Baer

First let me say I’m a veteran of aerial photography, I have logged nearly a hundred helicopter flights as well as fixed winged aircraft for photo shoots through the United States and the Caribbean. I was assigned to photograph rice fields and wildlife from the air for the California Rice Commission.

I met the pilot, Max Daddow, who flies commercially for American Airlines as well as being a rice farmer with his family all his life. We drove a short way from their hanger near Nicolaus.  If it weren’t for the windsock on the roof, I would have though it was a garage. Out came a 1947 Piper Cub Special, the one where the pilot sits in front and the passenger sits in the rear.

The plane is not fast but highly maneuverable, and has a half door the folds down and window the folds up, creating a large opening for photography. Climbing in was challenging, as the plane's skin is a fabric that I could have easily punctured. He told me that the bush pilots in Alaska like these planes because they can be taped up with duct tape in an emergency.

After hand cranking the prop a few times, the engine started and he climbed in. Now the other thing that hid the fact that this was an aircraft hanger was there was no runway. We took off on a dirt road lining a canal behind the barn. After we took off Max headed just east to a large white island in the middle of a flooded rice field. The island in fact was a large flock of Snow Geese that took to flight when we approached, creating some dramatic photos of white birds against rice fields.

The day continued this way as we traveled to the Sutter Buttes for more photography. Unfortunately there was too much haze to get rice fields with the Buttes behind them. After a couple of hours we headed back, this time landing at a paved agricultural airstrip a mile from their hanger. The dirt field we took off on was a bit muddy near the spot where the plane would touch down, so for safety I was let off on the paved strip. Max took off and returned in his truck to return me to my car.

A great trip and fun airplane.

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Brian Baer is a professional photographer who provides brilliant images for the California Rice Commission.  For more information about Brian, log on to:  www.brianbaerphotos.com.

CRC blog post- Loco for Loco Moco

By Julie Cader

Julie is Finance & Administration Manager for the California Rice Commission.  This is the first in an occasional series of blog posts about California rice cuisine.  It’s her first trip to Hawaii in many years, where California rice is extremely popular.

Aloha from Maui!

On our list of things to do in Maui was to find the best Loco Moco on the island. Located along the shoreline near Mala Wharf, nestled between a grand assortment of Birds of Paradise, Red Ginger, Anthuriums, Orchids, Tuberose, Ti-leaves, and other majestic tropical foliage, is where we found Aloha Mixed Plate, voted Best Plate Lunch by readers of The Maui News.

Our server, Michele, provided the perfect fusion of natural beauty and great Hawaiian hospitality. The Bloody Mary's were awesome and the Loco Moco was incredibly delicious. Michele offered that the Calrose rice in the Loco Moco tasted extra special due to the high humidity, and we totally agreed.

The next time you are in Maui, try not to miss this unique and rewarding dining experience.

Mahalo.

Upcoming festival honors nearly 100 Bird Species

Especially this time of the year, birds have a special significance in our community. Galt area residents are treated to an amazing aerial show of thousands of birds that spend their winters here, including along the Cosumnes River Preserve.

Photo by Leslie Morris

To celebrate this annual treat, the City of Galt, in partnership with the Cosumnes River Preserve and Galt Union Elementary School District will host the 5th annual Winter Bird Festival on Saturday, January 28.

The festival is free and will be held at McCaffery Middle School, 997 Park Terrace Drive in Galt.  Events begin at 8 am and feature craft vendors, food and many fun activities for all ages.

We have a full day planned.  Just some of the highlights include an art show from local students and their depictions of resident and migratory birds.  PRBO Conservation Science will address projected related to shorebird conservation and how you can get involved.  Flooded rice fields in the Sacramento Valley provide critical habitat to wintering shorebirds.

Our keynote speaker will be Phillip Garone, Associate Professor at California State University Stanislaus and author of “The Fall and Rise of the Wetlands in California’s Great Central Valley.”

There will also be several tours offered throughout the day for photographers, children and bird enthusiasts.

You can find more information about the Galt Winter Bird Festival here.

New CRC Blog- Get the Louie Bread

By Tim Johnson, California Rice Commission President & CEO

Memorable eats are scattered in the Sacramento Valley. I am fortunate that my travels take me to Colusa, Richvale, Chico and all the out of the way places in between. Invariably there are restaurants unique to the town that have memorable menus. So, here is the start of a periodic blog on those great, local and completely authentic restaurants and taco stands in the Sacramento Valley! Food mentioned here is solidly in the …”did you eat at…when you were there?” category. They are all places I go out of my way to eat.

Louis Cairos, an icon of the Valley, is found in Williams. Stepping in, I’m taken back immediately to the great Italian restaurants that were once common throughout Northern California – dark, homey and always with a bar. No surprises here. You step into the bar first – and it’s a good bar.

Two things are unique about this restaurant. First is the garlic bread. You have to order it. Advertising a “clove of garlic in every bite,” I have never had anything like it. Fresh steak rolls smeared with butter, an obscene amount of chopped garlic and toasted. Want something even better? Try half Louie bread and half blue. Still not sure? They have eight other options. Better make sure everyone in the group eats at least one piece!

Second are the steaks. Great beef and perfectly cooked. I always order the sandwich since I’m most often visiting at lunchtime. Grilled sirloin on garlic bread you eat with a knife! Now that’s a sandwich.

Don’t forget the pasta. The ravioli here is outstanding as is the spaghetti. The meat sauce is slow cooked and busting with great beefy-tomatoey goodness.

Combine great food with walls sporting the local cattle brands (real ones from real ranches in the area) and you can’t miss.

If you’ve not been there, the town is about 45 minutes north on I-5 from Woodland. The restaurant is just under the “Williams” sign that hangs over E street. Turn left on 7th and it is on the right side of the road.

www.louiscairos.com

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Tim Johnson, CRC President  & CEO

2011 Annual Report Now Available

2011 Annual Report

"For generations, California family rice farmers and handlers have been among the most productive and progressive in the world. The CRC continues to break new ground in its handling of regulatory, conservation and communications issues..."

Download the 2011 Annual Report to learn all about the Commission's groundbreaking year in 2011.

Guest blog by Mike Peters- Rare Duck draws huge attention

A survey by our biologist on December 19th showed that we had about 140,000 ducks and 40,000 geese using Colusa National Wildlife Refuge, but it has been one duck in particular that has been bringing people from throughout the country to the refuge.

On December 8, an Audubon group from Sacramento had a field trip to the Refuge and discovered that we had a beautiful male falcated duck on the Refuge. Falcated Ducks are typically found in Asia and have only been recorded in California a few times, with the last record for the state in 2002. The bird has been very cooperative and has been seen nearly every day on the same pond.

Courtesy U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 

Fortunately for visitors looking for the bird, it has picked the pond at the beginning of the auto tour route where we have a nice viewing deck that provides the visitors a great vantage point to see our "celebrity duck" and the thousands of other ducks and geese that typically use the pond.  Today one of the editors of the National Geographic Field Guide to Birds of North America was here to see the bird as was a news crew from Channel 3.

Courtesy U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 

The falcated duck typically stays fairly close to the observation deck giving people good opportunities for taking photos.  

Click here for more information.

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Mike Peters is Refuge Manager for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Colusa and Sutter Refuges.

Guest post- Audubon Bird Count provides fun and value

My name is Rudy Darling. I’ve been a birder since high school (1962) and am currently on the board of the Sierra Foothills Audubon Society, the local Audubon club for Nevada, Placer, Yuba and Sierra Counties.

The Audubon Christmas Bird Count (CBC) has been held every year since 1900.  The modern version involves canvassing all the birds one can find in a 15-mile diameter circle in one day during the period from 10 days before to 10 days after Christmas.  There are over 2,000 CBC’s in North America and more in Central and South America. The data from these counts is available on-line at http://birds.audubon.org/christmas-bird-count and is used by scientists to assess the health and movements of bird populations over time. I’m the compiler (chief honcho) of the Grass Valley CBC, and also an area leader for the Auburn and Lincoln CBC’s.

Rudy Darling

The Lincoln count has been held each year since 2002.  This CBC has led all North American counts for numbers of Western Meadowlarks every year since then.  It has led all counts for numbers of Red-tailed Hawks three times and is consistently in the top five for total open country raptors.

I have taken part in the Lincoln count since 2005.  As an area leader I’m responsible for coordinating two teams of birders to cover the area directly west of Lincoln.  This area includes parts of urban Lincoln, grasslands, many with vernal pools, riparian (river) habitat, and agricultural areas, including rice fields. Thanks in large part to modern management of rice fields, my area features large numbers of waterfowl and shorebirds, and the raptors that are attracted to this readily available food supply. One of my team’s best sightings during this year’s CBC was of a Peregrine Falcon hunting over a rice field, perching in a tree.  This beautiful raptor species had been driven nearly to extinction due to egg-thinning from the use of DDT in years past.  Its subsequent recovery has been a major conservation victory, and any sighting of one is an occasion for celebration.

Click here to view Audubon Lincoln Christmas Bird Count photo album

Guest blog- A Sea of White

By Jim Morris, California Rice Commission Communications Manager

You might think that the best time to visit Sacramento Valley rice country is during the growing season.  There’s no doubt that’s a beautiful time to see harvesters and bankout wagons working those golden fields.

Truth be told, there are really cool sights year round.  Right now we’re nearing the peak for wildlife viewing.

Buoyed by that information, wife Leslie, the kids and I ventured north to see what we could find on the back roads a short drive north of Sacramento.

Our first stop was the Sutter National Wildlife Refuge, a short drive west from Highway 99 in Yuba City.   Here we weren’t disappointed, as we saw a large concentration of Snow Geese enjoying their winter respite, framed by the Sutter Buttes mountain range.

But the real action came a short drive away, when we came across an amazing gathering of geese. Numbering well into the thousands, these migratory birds were enjoying their stop in a rice field. It was exhilarating to hear all of that honking that broke the silence found in the countryside and to see their landings and takeoffs on this sun-filled Saturday.

In fact, the best sight of the day was observing clouds of geese flying in the sky, with the sunshine glimmering off of their wings.

Leslie was able to capture some footage of this enormous flock, which provided great delight to our family.







Bird watching is not a hobby for those seeking immediate gratification.  It’s just about impossible to know where the flocks will be, or which species you may luck into.  But this family’s opinion is that it’s worth the drive, because just around the corner you may find a truly breathtaking snapshot of our natural world.

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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 marathons.

New photos and video- A Romp of Otters in Sacramento Valley Rice Country

Watch a brief clip of a family of otters enjoying their stay on a family rice farm in Pleasant Grove.

View photo album here

New blog from Sandy Denn- Reflect and Recharge

The holidays are always a quiet time on the farm. Oh sure, there's shop work, repairs and maintenance work to be done before spring field preparation begins in earnest, but the rush and the push of meeting harvest deadlines are over for this year.

The snow geese have moved into the harvested fields to clean up what the harvesters leave behind, and all seems right with this little corner of the world.

Now is the time when we get to catch up on visiting with friends and family, sharing the holidays and not yet feeling that hurried rush that will come soon enough as the grass begins to green and 2012 progresses into spring and once again the busy need to meet Mother Nature's deadlines. But for now it’s that peaceful feeling that comes from "a job well done" for another year.

And we find ourselves wishing just such peace for everyone we greet. "Merry Christmas, peace on earth to men of good will" and that wish for a "Happy New Year" are deeply felt at this time of year on the farm.

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Sandy Denn and her husband Wally own and operate Snow Goose Farms near Willows in Glenn County. She holds a law degree and has served on numerous boards and committees dealing with water in the North State. Sandy and Wally have six grown children. Her passions include hunting and fishing, and she used to fly a hot air balloon and a stunt plane for relaxation.

New video- Artist Boyd Gavin completes 2nd California Rice painting

Artist Boyd Gavin comments on his new paining covering California Rice - an antique pickup, barn and rice field from the LaGrande Family in Colusa County.