Farming Practices

  • Organic, used by Lundberg Family Farms® and other certified organic farmers.
  • Eco-Farmed, a conventional farming technique used exclusively by Lundberg Family Farms.
  • Conventional, the method of choice for most commercial rice farmers.

Each of these three farming methods must, in some form, address the same issues: soil enrichment, planting, water management, pest control, harvest, straw incorporation, and storage. Our goal is to better our customers' understanding of Lundberg rice farming methods as compared to conventional methods.

Soil Enrichment

Nurturing the soil is a high priority for Lundberg Family Farms. Many farmers consider the soil to be merely an anchor for the plant's roots, and treat it as a sterile medium in which they control rice plants, weeds, insects and diseases with various agrichemicals and burning. The Lundbergs view the soil as a living organism rotating in cover crops, regularly leaving fields fallow, and encouraging waterfowl to rest on our fields in the winter.

As the weather allows, between rice crops, we plant nitrogen-fixing legumes as a cover crop on our Organic and Eco-Farmed fields. "Planting purple vetch on Eco-Farmed fields minimizes the need for supplemental fertilizer," says Lundberg farm manager, Marc Breckenridge. Cover Crops, poultry litter, and pelletized feather meal are the primary "fertilizers" used on Organic fields. Cover crops improve soil fertility and tilth, and supply organic matter to the field. Along with vetch, we have experimented with bell beans, strawberry clover, adzuki beans, and clovers from Australia."We like to experiment with new cover crops to see if we can improve on our current method," Harlan explains.

We leave our Organic fields fallow every three or four years, and our Eco-Farmed fields not quite that often. We have a simple guideline we use for rotation. “We want a minimum of 3 rotation elements on each field in a seven year period and no single rotation element can be used back to back.”

The role of waterfowl and other birds--cranes, egrets, ducks, herons, swans, geese, pheasants, red-legged dowitchers, and mud hens, among others--is vital to our soil building program. On winter flooded fields, they help decompose straw, reduce weed population, and provide natural fertilization. "It seems the birds particularly like Wehani fields," Eldon says. Wehani is russet-colored, aromatic long grain rice developed and grown only by the Lundberg family. We see lots of wildlife on all our fields-- Organic and Eco-Farmed.

Several wildlife experts visiting our farms have been impressed with the variety and abundance of birds on our fields. "We cooperate with wildlife groups by helping them count the birds populations and discussing ways to encourage their propagation," Harlan says. We post special "No Hunting" signs around our property. The birds eat grain left in our fields after harvest. In the spring, pheasants and ducks lay their eggs in the lush vegetation of the purple vetch that grew on our fields during the winter.

Planting

Rice planting occurs in April and May. On our Eco-Farmed fields and Organic fields we run a flail mower over the vetch, which chops the cover crop about six inches above the ground, creating a mat of organic matter on top of the soil. At this point we chisel, disc and level as conventional farmers do, preparing the soil for aerial planting.

On some of the Organic fields, we use a special GPS drill seeder to plant the rice seed into the soil. We never stop experimenting with new organic rice farming techniques. We have tried seeding into the cover crop thatch mat, sprinkling rice with large sprinkling systems, injecting water with the rice seed, and numerous other ideas. Our newest technique allows us to precision plant rice seed in rows. After planting we are able to utilize the same precision steering equipment to weed in between and on top of the rows. Many of the “failed” ideas from previous attempts supply helpful insight as we continue to improve organic farming systems.

Wehani and Black Bran Japonica, our russet-colored aromatic long grain and black rice, require a special planting method. These uniquely colored rice varieties can never be seeded by air, instead we broadcast the seed dry and then apply the water. In the spring many ducks and pheasants make their nests in and around our fields. We look for nests before working in the fields that have vetch and other cover crops growing. Our goal is to prevent the eggs from being damaged – instead bringing them to a volunteer organization which hatches them and returns the birds to the wild.

Water Management

"Water is a precious commodity to all rice growers," Homer emphasizes. In California, water is either delivered by canals or pumped from wells. Pumping is more expensive and usually utilized on fields that don’t have canal water or in times of drought. During years when water is plentiful, relatively inexpensive canal water is used. Many farmers often irrigate by running water through the field and out the drain at the end into a drainage ditch. This practice eliminates the need for continual measuring of water levels, and is convenient for the irrigator, but it wastes water.

"Over the past several years, our water usage has been at least 25 percent lower than the average in our water district," Homer says. We accomplish this by measuring water levels with stakes and closely monitoring them. Water used on our farm is metered so we can manage our most precious resource wisely. "We curtail irrigation early in season," Wendell explains, "allowing fields to dry often without releasing any water." This keeps the water clean for downstream urban users and other farmers.

"We have to time the cutoff of irrigation water perfectly so the rice does not turn chalky and produce a poor crop," Eldon says. Our water management techniques not only conserve water, but they are an essential part of our weed control efforts.

Weed Control

Using herbicides is routine for most conventional farmers, but not at Lundberg Family Farms. Of course, we do not use herbicides on our Organic fields. On our Eco-Farmed fields, we use minimal amounts and only when absolutely necessary, using more natural methods of weed control whenever possible. Lundberg Family Farms experimented for years with weed control in the Organic fields. Most of these innovative methods did not work well enough to use long term, but they did lead us to our current way of controlling weeds in Organic rice.We continue to seek improved methods for the production of rice. One of the techniques we are experimenting with involves planting soaked (partially sprouted) rice seed with a drill seeder along with a stream of water that will allow rice to take root and start to grow before weed seeds get water. This allows rice to establish itself before weeds can be competitive. Our goal in using this planting technique is to give rice a competitive advantage over aquatic weeds, but it also allows young seedlings to evade damage from rice water weevil and tadpole shrimp. This new tactic of drill seeding rice allows is precision cultivation between rows while rice plants are very small. This allows rice to gain strength and size before weeds start to thrive. Then when water is applied, the rice is large enough and strong enough to shade out and crowd out weeds.

For both Lundberg Organic and Eco-farmed rice, we do our best to select varieties that compete with weeds, however it is difficult to find varieties more competitive than aquatic weeds.. Our most common method of competing with weeds involves drowning grass weeds with deep water, then drying up aquatic weeds with drought.Many of the 17 rice varieties we grow accommodate the “deep water and dry-up” weed control method; however, because some varieties do not and because weeds adapt – we are constantly experimenting with new Organic techniques to compete with weeds. If herbicide is absolutely necessary for an Eco-Farmed field, we use minimum amounts and avoid the harshest chemicals. “We tolerate more weeds in our non-organic fields than most rice farmers, and use herbicides only when the yield of the crop is seriously threatened,” explains Grant Lundberg, CEO of Lundberg Family Farms.

Pest Control

“We always consider our long-term objective and ask ourselves “Will this be good for the land?” This is our first priority,” states Homer Lundberg.The biggest pest problems in rice are rice water weevils, which attach to the roots of the young plant, shrimp, which feed on newly germinated rice plants, and diseases, which can attack both seedlings and mature plants. These pests can reduce plant size, and eventually crop yield. At Lundberg Family Farms, there is often little we can do to control pests in Organic rice; we practice crop rotation to keep our soil healthy and we rely on nature to help control pests. Conventional pest control methods typically require a routine pesticide program, relying on pest control advisors to recommend rates of application. Only USDA and OMRI approved materials are used on our Organic fields. On other fields we use a dry planting technique that helps protect rice from shrimp since rice plants are well established before permanent flood is applied. Birds, fish and snakes also help control shrimp and rodent populations. There is no routine program for chemical use on our Eco-Farmed fields. We carefully inspect each field and apply minimal amounts only when necessary. Our goal is to utilize similar pest control techniques on our Eco-Farmed rice as our Organic rice.“We regularly review which materials we allow on Eco-Farmed rice and limit only to materials safe for people and the environment.

On Lundberg Organic fields we use absolutely no pesticides--only natural controls. Our dry planting technique helps protect the rice from shrimp. The rice plant is well established by the time we apply the permanent flood, so the shrimp cannot ruin the crop. The birds, fish and snakes help control the shrimp and rat populations. Like other growers, we plant varieties of rice that are somewhat resistant to these pests.

"While we want to control the weeds enough to keep the rice thriving, we always consider our long-term objective when deciding how to treat a field--will this be good for the land?" Harlan asks. "This is our highest priority. When we pass the land on to our sons and daughters, we want to leave the soil in a better condition than we started with."

Harvesting

Harvest is an exciting, busy time at the farm. The brothers and other family members meet with Marc (farm manager), Jim storage manager, Chad (QA manager, Elisabeth paddy rice manager, and Maryann (scale and receiving) and other key personnel daily to coordinate the harvest and make sure the rice coming in from the fields is at an optimal maturity.

Conventional rice farmers, whose production generally sells as white rice, harvest at higher moisture (21 to 26 percent moisture), which means the rice is not as mature. They do this so the rice does not shatter when polished to white. Sometimes, this less mature rice is sold as brown rice.

We grow the majority of our rice to sell as brown rice, so we can allow the rice to mature to full flavor in the field because the rice will not be put through the white rice polishing process. We harvest at 16 to 18 percent moisture, which produces more mature fully developed rice kernels. Allowing the rice to dry and mature in the fields gives the rice fullest flavor.

We sometimes have to gamble with the weather, not wanting to harvest less mature rice, but not wanting to harvest in muddy conditions if rain is forecast. "Harvesting in mud is time- consuming and expensive," Wendell says. "We take many such risks when the fields are not quite ready--waiting to harvest in spite of clouds so we have the best-tasting rice."

Straw Incorporation

After harvest, about three tons of straw per acre is left in the field. For many years it was customary for most farmers to eliminate the straw by burning it. The result was a parched, scorched earth and a smoky, hazy Sacramento Valley during the fall months. Today conventional rice farmers have greatly reduced burning of their rice straw – through a legislated phase down. Now roughly 25% of the rice acres in California may be burned after harvest.

The Lundbergs do not burn the straw and stubble left on our fields; no rice straw has been burned since 1961. We have spent years experimenting with ways to incorporate it into the soil. In 1971, we modified a harvester to chop the straw left in the field.

"One year we used a Rotera," Eldon remembers. "This was a machine with an egg-beating motion that churned up the straw in the mud. We quit using it because it altered the soil structure in an undesirable way." Another year we designed a self-propelled drum with large fins to work the straw into a wet field, but the wheels got clogged with mud.

For many years we pulled a huge rubber tire roller over dry fields which would smash the straw and put it in contact with the ground. Then we worked the straw into the soil with a chisel. Today we try to incorporate as much straw as we can by chopping it with a Rears chopper and tilling it in with chisel plows or disks – depending on the moisture in the soil. When the soil is too wet, we use a cage-roller we designed to work the straw into wet ground. The flocks of geese, ducks, and swans help decompose the straw and stubble by trampling it into the soil.

“All the methods we have experimented with have been much more expensive than burning,” Grant says. “This expense would seem unnecessary to some farmers, but in our opinion, the benefits to the soil, air and community make it completely worthwhile.

Drying, Storing, Milling and Packing

The beginning of harvest also signals the beginning of two very critical phases in the production of Lundberg Rice: drying and storage. The rice must be dried down to about 14 percent moisture for storage. “We dry our rice slowly for the best quality,” Wendell says. “We pass our freshly harvested rice across streams of warm air to gradually draw out the moisture.”

Each variety of rice must be stored separately. Long grain, medium grain, short grain, sweet rice, Arborio, Wehani, California Basmati, Sushi Rice (Akitakomachi), Christmas Rice, Red Japonica, and Black Japonica are some of the rice we grow to sell individually or mix together to create our Gourmet Brown Rice Blends, such as Wild Blend, Countrywild, and Jubilee.

We do not use chemical controls on any of the rice stored at Lundberg Family Farms. Our Organic and Eco-Farmed rice are regularly stirred and aerated with cold air during the cool winter months. We constantly monitor all of our rice bins, checking the temperature, moisture, insect activity, and freshness. Most of our grain bins are painted white, which keeps the rice significantly cooler than non-painted bins. We use grain chillers from Europe to cool rice when the temperature rises. If we do get insects in stored grain, we fill our rice bins with natural food-grade carbon dioxide (a non-toxic gas people exhale when they breathe) to keep bugs from damaging rice. We have experimented with beneficial insects and other USDA approved controls to keep pests out of our storage areas. We do not use chemical controls in any of our milling, puffing, processing, or warehousing facilities. We meticulously clean our facilities to prevent pests. If we do have a need to eliminate pests, we utilize a specially designed heating system to raise the temperature above the point insects can live. We also cool our warehouses during the summer months to keep milled rice fresh during its short stay prior to shipping.

Most rice mills mill their rice to white and were not built specifically to remove only the inedible hull as our mill was designed to do. These mills often produce brown rice with scratched kernels which turn rancid more quickly than unscratched kernels. Meticulous machines sort out straw, husks, dirt and broken kernels. Each lot of rice is traceable from planting to packaging. This allows the Lundbergs to exercise accurate quality control. Lundberg rice is virtually milled to order. “Since our mill is relatively small “we are able to mill on demand, which means our customers get the freshest rice possible.” Packaged rice is rarely in the warehouse for more than two weeks. Rice milled for rice cakes is usually processed within hours.

All Lundberg Family Farms' products are produced with consideration for a healthy environment, including our packaging. Many of our products are packed in recycled cardboard, and we regularly take paper from our warehouse to be recycled. "We are continuously working to make environmentally-positive changes in all our packaging and operations," says Eldon.

All of the electricity used at our facilities is wind or solar generated. We have a 380 kilowatt solar generating field at our facility. The rest of our electricity is contracted from a certified wind generating company. “Our commitment to the environment goes beyond the borders of our fields;generating and purchasing green energy is consistent with our farming and business philosophy.

We hope you have enjoyed this tour of our farm. We are thrilled that we can produce a healthy food in a way that builds up the soil and protects the surrounding wildlife. Our family hopes you will continue to enjoy the full line of Lundberg products, supporting ecological rice farming that benefits everyone.