Rice farmers expecting good year thanks to mild summer

Knee-high stalks of golden straw are pulled into the combine, stripping stalks of plump grains and creating towering piles to be funneled into waiting trailers.

Rice harvest has started in Yuba-Sutter, and farmers say it looks to be a great year for the area's top crop. Rice is the highest valued commodity in both counties, with a combined value of $273.5 million — representing nearly 40 percent of the value of all crops, and produced on 154,000 acres in 2010.

A small American flag flutters from the top of Casey Hoppin's grain bin as the harvester moves through an expanse of rice field. Much of the straw in his field at Township and Lincoln roads has fallen over, blanketing the ground in grain.

"If you're lucky, it's the sign of a good crop," Hoppin said. "I'm real optimistic, but we haven't gotten a yield off anything yet."

The Sutter County farmer started harvesting his family's 700 acres of rice a week ago and estimates he'll be finished within two weeks. He spends all day behind the wheel of the harvester, starting when the dew dries at 10 a.m. and wrapping up around sunset at 8 p.m., basking in the glow of the fading sunlight.

"Everything is just a different color," he said. "It's a good way to end your day."

Hoppin likes being among the first to harvest because lines at the dryers are small and there's less worry about inclement weather, he said. And the sooner he finishes harvesting, the sooner he can start on ground work, cutting straw and disking.

"This is the most satisfying point because you get to see what you've accomplished," he said. "The truth comes when you put it in a trailer and run it on a scale."

The USDA is estimating the California rice crop will be up 11 percent this year, at 4.9 billion pounds. Harvested acreage is forecast at 588,000 acres, up 6 percent from last year, with a production of 8,400 pounds per acre.

"It was a later season once again because of the cooler spring. The fields are looking pretty good but it remains to be seen until you get farther into harvest," said Jim Morris, spokesman of the California Rice Commission. "You would probably find most farmers to be cautiously optimistic."

The cooler weather meant the crop was slow to mature, but yields are typically down in years with scorching Julys with 20-plus days of triple-digit heat, said Chris Greer, rice adviser for the Sutter-Yuba U.C. Cooperative Extension. So this mild summer should be a good sign, with the only problem of some cold weather "blanking" where grains don't fully set and cause poor yields, but he has not heard many reports of that.

"Overall things look pretty good from a yield standpoint," Greer said. "We will have to see what the numbers come out. From what we are seeing, we are pretty optimistic on the prospects."

The only downside to the cool weather is it slowed growing so that staggered plantings did not have the desired effect, Hoppin said, and most of his rice is ready for harvest at the same time.

"I expect we will start seeing a lot more activity in the next seven to 10 days," Greer said. "Once we start harvesting, it's a pretty hectic time for growers, trying to get everything done before we start getting into periods of rain."

The work doesn't stop after harvest, because all the freshly-scathed grain has to be dried, stored, marketed and sold, Greer said.

Harvest will likely last into November, Morris said. The season is late for the second year in a row but that may be beneficial.

"Last year's crop was a pretty good size," he said. "I think you just need some time to find out what's in the fields."

Prolonged warm weather of recent weeks has been in farmers' favor.

"Talking with growers, I think they like the weather right now," Morris said. "It's helping dry down the crops. Certainly what you don't want to see right now is rain and there is none of that in the forecast."

CONTACT reporter Ashley Gebb at 749-4783.