Lundberg Family Farms

General FAQ's

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• What is Lundberg Family Farms? What makes them different?

  Lundberg Family Farms^® is a family run farming business, which is health and ecologically conscious. The Lundberg's began farming in Richvale, CA during 1937 and pioneered organic farming in 1969. They practice ecological farming methods on all fields. They do not burn rice straw after harvest, instead it is re-incorporated into the soil. Cover crops, such as Purple Vetch, (a leguminous plant that delivers nitrogen and other vital nutrients to the soil), is used as a winter ground cover. This eliminates or reduces the need for chemical fertilizer, depending upon whether or not the field is strictly organic. Fields are rotated on a regular basis. No chemicals are used on organic crops, and a minimum of chemicals are used for Eco-Farmed rice.

• Where is Lundberg Family Farms?

  Our rice fields, dryer, mill, and processing plant are located in Richvale, California, a farming community with a population of about 200. Richvale is located approximately 80 miles north of Sacramento. We also work with an additional 20 rice farmers in the Sacramento Valley region to help supply our organic and Eco-Farmed rice.

• How large is Lundberg Family Farms?

  Lundberg Family Farms manages approximately 5,000 acres farmed by the four Lundberg brothers and eight third-generation Lundbergs. An additional 12,000 acres or so are farmed by the Lundberg "Family of Growers" in our region.

• Where does the farm's water source come from?

  Our water source comes from the Feather River, which carries clear mountain stream water from the winter snow. The Feather River provided some of the purest irrigation water available in the world. A couple of our farms also use groundwater because surface water is not available. All our farms utilize practices to reduce our water consumption as well as maintain a high water quality.

• What is brown rice?

  Brown rice is the whole grain rice taken from the field with the inedible husk removed.

• What is the difference between brown and white rice? Is brown rice more nutritious?

  Milling is the primary difference between brown and white rice. The varieties may be identical, but it is in the milling process where brown rice becomes white rice. Milling, often called 'whitening', removes the outer bran layer of the rice grain.

• What does that do to the rice grain?

  Does milling affect the nutritional quality of the rice? The answer to this question is YES. Milling strips off the bran layer, leaving a core comprised of mostly carbohydrates. In this bran layer resides nutrients of vital importance in the diet, making white rice a poor competitor in the nutrition game The following chart shows the nutritional differences between brown and white rices. Fiber is dramatically lower in white rice, as are the oils, most of the B vitamins, and important minerals.

  	1 cup Brown Rice	1 cup White Rice
  Calories	232	223
  Protein	4.88 g	4.1 g
  Carbohydrate	49.70 g	49.6 g
  Fat	1.17 g	0.205 g
  Dietary Fiber	3.32 g	0.74 g
  Thiamin - B1	0.223 mg	0.176 mg
  Riboflavin - B2	0.039 mg	0.021 mg
  Niacin - B3	2.730 mg	2.05 mg
  Vitamin B6	0.294 mg	0.103 mg
  Folacin	10 mcg	4.1 mcg
  Vitamin E	1.4 mg	0.462 mg
  Magnesium	72.2 mg	22.6 mg
  Phosphorus	142 mg	57.4 mg
  Potassium	137 mg	57.4 mg
  Selenium	26 mcg	19 mcg
  Zinc	1.05 mg	0.841 mg

   

  Bran contains several things of major importance - two major ones are fiber and essential oils. Fiber is not only filling, but is implicated in prevention of major diseases in this country such as certain gastrointestinal diseases and heart disease. The National Cancer Institute recommends 25 grams of fiber a day, a cup of brown rice adds nearly 3.5 g, while an equal amount of white rice not even 1 g. Also, components of the oils present in rice bran have been shown in numerous studies to decrease serum cholesterol, a major risk factor in heart disease.

  According to the USDA's new food guide pyramid with six major food groups (fats, dairy, protein, vegetables, fruits, and starches), starches should comprise the major portion of the diet - about 58% - which translates into 6-11 servings of carbohydrate a day. Whole grains such as brown rice figure prominently in this group. A one cup serving of brown rice yields about 50 grams of carbohydrate. In addition, it has been shown that a diet rich in carbohydrates can be useful in weight control. Studies show that diets with identical caloric loads but one richer in fats and protein versus a diet rich in carbohydrate tends to contribute to weight gain. Dietary fat tends to go to body fat stores whereas dietary carbohydrate tends to be utilized or held in muscle stores for a period of time. We are much better off, then, to eat a well balanced diet low in fat and rich in complex carbohydrates. Brown rice rounds out the diet in a way white rice cannot begin to approach.

• What products does Lundberg sell?

  Lundberg Family Farms is proud to provide for you safe, healthy food. Among them: Eco-Farmed rice, Organic rice, Gourmet Specialty Brown Rice and Blends, Rice Cakes, Hot Brown Rice Cereal, One-Step Entree's (with rice and lentils), Risotto, Rice Pasta, Rice Couscous, Rice Syrup, and Rice Flour.

• How did you get started in rice farming? What is the difference between "Eco-Farmed" and "Organic"? How many crops do you grow a year and how do you manage the rice once you harvest it?

  Lundberg Family Farms has farmed rice in Northern California since 1937. The four Lundberg brothers, Eldon, Wendell, Harlan, and Homer, who now run Lundberg Family Farms, were deeply influenced by their late father, Albert. Albert, his wife and four small sons, moved to California from Nebraska during the hard Dust Bowl years. Albert developed a belief in ecological farming long before it was fashionable. His wish was to leave the earth in better condition than he found it. The Lundberg brothers carry on this innovative farming tradition. Today, Lundberg rice has become a gold standard by which everything else in natural foods and specialty markets is measured.

  Lundberg Family Farms grows both certified organic rice as well as Eco-Farmed rice. Both methods address soil fertility, planting, water management, straw incorporation, weed control, and pest control in an ecological way. Some of the highlights of these methods include never burning rice straw after harvest and using innovative straw incorporation equipment developed at the farm. Overwintering waterfowl are nurtured in these fields and in turn help break down the straw and provide natural fertility. Synthetic chemicals are used only in the Eco-Farmed fields on as "as needed" basis, rather than using routine scheduled chemical applications. The organic crops are, of course, certified by CCOF, chemical free, are subject to very high standards and are monitored regularly.

  Consumers demand high quality rice. Our product design and integrity is driven by our market - our customers who demand the highest quality for the best value. As demand for organic has increased, so has our acreage of organic. In fact, we now have over 70% of our acreage planted to certified organic rice. Inside Lundberg Family Farms there are rigorous quality standards that are a part of the operation from field to table. These high standards require efficiency in continuous quality improvement. If not carefully planned, sustainable methods can be very expensive and could quickly create a non-competitive product. Lundberg Farms has been successful at finding creative solutions to the problem of striking a balance between the expense of the process, the cost of the product, and the efficiency of the method.

  There is only one crop per year, so a good deal is at stake to grow the best crop, achieve the best yield, and maintain quality throughout the storage and handling process. Proper post-harvest handling of rice is a key step in assuring quality, impacting both grain integrity and insect life. In addition to the importance of proper drying procedures, chilling reduces grain stress by providing more uniform moisture levels, and eliminates the phenomenon of increasing moisture levels after drying (termed "bounce back").

• Why do you grow organic AND Eco-Farmed Rice?

  The basic reason is market demand. While some of our customers require organically grown rice, others want a quality rice product that has been farmed in a more sustainable manner than conventional rice.

• I hear a lot about "sustainable agriculture" and organic farming. Can you explain it? It seems to me that organic foods are very expensive. Why is that?

  There has been a growing consciousness about the responsibility of humans to our environment and the natural resources we depend on. It is no longer acceptable for humans to simply take from the earth and give nothing back. It is this respect for the earth and for future generations that is shaping our current farming practices. Sustainable agriculture is a food production system that can indefinitely provide wholesome food, restore our water and soil resources, and revitalize individual farms and rural communities with little reliance on fossil fuels. We at Lundberg Family Farms have been working towards sustainability for generations. These techniques include recycling animal manure into fertilizer, alternating nutrient devouring crops with nutrient restoring crops, practicing soil conservation by the use of cover crops and crop rotation, resting our fields periodically while providing nesting habitat for birds, working to prevent pests rather than control them after they have an outbreak, and more.

  Lundberg Family Farms is very involved in the practice and politics of the ecological, economic, social, and technical issues surrounding sustainable agriculture. With regard to ecological issues, we have long been recognized for our commitment to soil and the environment. We have demonstrated leadership in organic farming, cover cropping with legumes, water conservation, straw incorporation, soil building, waterfowl habitat development, wildlife enhancement, clean air and other programs.

  The price of organic foods is much closer to the true cost of food production. There are staggering economic issues related to organic farming including the costs of crop loss by pests (organic crops yield approximately 50-60% less per acre than do Eco-Farmed fields), costs of letting fields lying fallow and 'unproductive', marketing and distribution problems, the costs of changing over from traditional methods to organic or sustainable methods, etc. The risk for bankruptcy is high. Money is critical to the feasability of sustainable agriculture and many farms that succeed ecologically and socially fail economically. At Lundberg Family Farms, we try to provide the highest quality rice products at the fairest price. We try to eliminate the 'middle man' as much as possible, doing most of the milling, product development, processing, and packaging ourselves. We rely on consumers who are aware of our methods and high quality standards and support them.

  Social issues surrounding sustainable agriculture are myriad. Farmers are merely 2% of the total population and rice farmers in California are in an extreme minority. Our rights and entitlements must be weighed against the majority of the population. There is no question that non-farm interests like industrial development or urban sprawl compete with farming interests and space. Farmers must be good neighbors, sharing water, not fouling the air, and participating in the larger issues affecting society, such as waste reduction, food security, and public health.

  At Lundberg Family Farms, we work every day at improving the quality and wholesomeness of our food supply and integrity of our land. We appreciate the partnership of family members, the environment, fellow coworkers, our neighbors, and especially you - our customers - for supporting our methods of sustainable agriculture.

• How do you read the code dates?

  The pack date is imprinted on the packaging. We use the Julian code as follows: 04207C means the product was made the 42nd day of 2007 on the third shift.

• What is the shelf life of brown rice and brown rice products?

  Rice is stable for at least one year after milling with proper storage. As with any natural grain, deterioration can be caused by heat, light, and pests. Transport and store at less than 55 degrees F and preferably in the dark in a pest-free environment.

  Customers should keep any whole grain product, including brown rice, refrigerated or in the freezer to guarantee a virtually unlimited shelf life.

• How does rice become infested?

  What happens is this: Moths lay their eggs on grain while it is growing in the field. This is true for any grain, including rice. If the rice is stored at the proper temperature (below 50), the eggs remain dormant. However, if the rice get too hot, the eggs may hatch. We flush our packages and our storage bins with carbon dioxide to keep out the oxygen, which prevents hatching.

• What causes green kernels?

  When a crop if rice is ready for harvest, any given stalk will contain a certain amount of green kernels. These green kernels are a little less mature than the brown kernels. Some green kernels are quite immature, being small in size. We filter those out during our cleaning and husking process. The green kernels that are full-size are allowed to remain, since they are nutritionally developed.

• Are Lundberg products Kosher certified?

  Many of Lundberg's products are Kosher certified. In the Product section of the website you may view each product profile where the Kosher symbol will be displayed if it is a kosher product. Our kosher certifying agency is Kosher Overseers Associates of America (KOAOA).

• I do not want to include any MSG in my diet. Do you add this to your products?

  Flavor enhancers have been used for a very long time to improve the flavor of foods; sugar and salt are two of the oldest flavor enhancers. Flavor potentiators as a class contain a profile of nucleotides and amino acids (eg., L-glutamate). Recently, hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP) has been used in food technology as a flavor enhancer. During processing HVP yields monosodium glutamate. Incidentally, MSG in the free glutamate form is naturally found in many foods, e.g., kelp, Parmesan cheese, green tea, tomatoes, potatoes, some shellfish, some fin fish, just to name a few.

  Even though glutamate is the most common amino acid in the human body, there are people who feel a sensitivity towards dietary glutamate. There is a syndrome termed "Chinese Restaurant Syndrome" which manifests as feeling hot and tingly among other symptoms. This syndrome seems to be correlated with ingesting large amounts of MSG sometimes used in Asian cooking. Laboratory research has yet been unable to duplicate this syndrome in a placebo-controlled, double-blind study.

  However, just because we have been unable to prove some food sensitivities exist does not mean that they do not exist! Our customers' welfare and food preferences are important to us; therefore, Lundberg Family Farms DOES NOT use HVP. Our flavor potentiators are typically based upon yeasts. Yeasts yield nucleotides such as 5'-guanylate (found in mushrooms, meats). Any of the flavorants we use are subject to rigorous standards of purity set forth by the FDA and are all natural, as well as gluten-free. Lundberg has a commitment to quality. Our goal is to produce only wholesome, pure foods.