It may be a surprise to you that California rice fields are a pretty popular place to tour. Last week we had a Japanese magazine crew visit and today it was a group from the U.S. Embassy in Seoul along with Korean students. South Korea is one of the top overseas destinations for California rice. It’s where the average consumer eats more than 200 pounds of rice per year – an astounding figure compared to U.S. rice consumption.
Today’s visitors traveled 6,000 miles to view California farms, which have topped the nation in production for more than a half century. They toured a rice farm in Yuba County and met with growers Michael Rue and his son, Michael Bosworth.Twenty-six year old Yong Bum An, a rice grower and college student, really perked up when he saw the wide expanse of Calrose rice fields. He said he was amazed at the high-tech nature of California rice.
“Instead of planting a rice seed based on eyesight, I would like to adopt a database type farming like Mr. Rue to be more successful in the future,” Mr. An said.
Sporting a green “Farm Strong” bracelet he won at the Iowa State Fair, Mr. An said he eats rice breakfast, lunch and dinner virtually every day. His favorite meal?A bowl of steamed rice.As these rice growers visited and talked about their livelihoods, it was amazing to see some of their common threads- enjoyment in their work, care for their surroundings and viewing rice farming as something that extends well beyond a 9 to 5 job.
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.
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