Four months after rice harvest in California, I found myself standing in a foreign rice field only weeks away from cutting….All it took was an eight thousand mile plane flight across the equator, and a little adventurous spirit!
After a month of backpacking through the Patagonian wilderness with my best friend Brandon, we arrived in Chilean rice country adorned with Beards that would make any farmer jealous (and any female sick!) I met my father in Talca, a city two hours south of Santiago. Getting from the lakes district 400 miles north to Talca had proved quite a feat. Apparently one is expected to “reserve” a seat on a bus for the last weekend of the Chilean summer vacation!
Our Guide for day one of the farm tour was a rice miller named Gustavo. He works for one of the biggest food companies in Chile, Carozzi (which, incidentally, was who Brandon and I bought most of our backpacking food from!). Gustavo and his family took the whole day off to show us rice farms both big and small. Though all the fields had contoured levies, varying degrees of technology were employed. Ignacio, a local farmer, proudly showed us a fallow field that had just been laser leveled!
We also were able to tour one of Carozzi’s drying and storage facilities.
We were surprised to find out that 100 percent of the drying was done by burning excess rice hulls!
It was fascinating to experience the “every day” in a not so “every day” way. But for those of you who are so interested in the details of rice farming, let me entertain you with a few observations…- All farmers look the same!!! But seriously, just look at this picture…can you tell me which one is the American?
- Gas stations in America have some catching up to do…I enjoyed one of the best steaks I have ever tasted inside of a Copec station!!! The place kinda smelled like fuel, but you get used to it by the time your salad comes!
- Apparently ordering tap water makes you weird…but then again, I’m carrying around a four month old beard on my face…why even try to be normal???
After completing his college education, Peter Rystrom is happily back at work as a fourth-generation farmer in Butte County. Working alongside his father Steve, grandfather Don, uncle Gary and several cousins, this family has a century-long tradition of rice farming in the Sacramento Valley.After graduating from UC Davis with an International Relations and Spanish double major, he worked with Community Enterprise Solutions in Guatemala and lead tours across the United States for Trek America.
Peter enjoys the change in seasons on the farm and the freedom of being outside all day.
When he’s not on the farm, he enjoys backpacking trips into the mountains as well as world travel. Other passions include being involved in the lives of others through church small groups and friendships, both at home and abroad.
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