Educating Future Rice Consumers

Durham High is located in the middle of an agricultural area.

Many students are unaware of the impact and benefits of the local agriculture industry.

My goal was to enlighten the students of my school about the importance of the agriculture industry to our local community.

Family Rice FarmingUSA Rice Federation Rice Month Promotion

“Our family farmers are committed to improving to their natural surrounds, wise use of water and reducing their

impacts on the environment and it shows. Our family rice farms understand that the more the work to enhance their

environment, the greater the opportunity they have to sustain this century-old farming tradition and the small

communities where they live.”-The California Rice Commission

Importance of California Rice Production Family Farms largely contribute to total rice

production California is 2nd top producer Aided countries such as Japan in times of natural

disaster $1.8 billion and 25,000 jobs contributed to

California’s economy More than 95% of rice grown in California is done

within 100 miles of the capital Nearly all sushi made in America is made with

California rice California rice is of the highest quality and yields Butte County’s third top crop bringing in $154.5

million

Family Production Only 4% of farms in US are

large family farms but have highest sales

Family farms in the Sacramento Valley produce more than 4 billion pounds of rice every year

Keeps jobs and income local: crop dusting companies, equipment distributors, dryers, etc.

More conscience of habitat, land & water conservation and of food safety

Conservation of Habitat Estimated 74% of private land

in California supports wildlife habitat

Rice fields provide food and habitat for 230 wildlife species

USA Rice Federation is now teamed with Ducks Unlimited

60% of food consumed by wintering waterfowl in the Pacific Flyway comes from rice fields

Excess water is drained from fields into neighboring wetlands

Small farmers have a higher tendency to set aside a portion of their land to wild habitat

Egg Salvage

Conservation of LandFamily farms

grow more food on less land

Conservation of Water Patty rice consumes more

water than any other crop Average depth of water in field

is 5 inches Water from fields is continually

monitored to ensure it is doing no environmental harm

In California, water is “recycled”

Fields are laser-leveled Heavy clay soils Only requires 25 gallons to

produce one serving of white rice (16 for brown rice): about the same amount of water per acre as the average urban lawn

New varieties are shorter which allows more crop per drop of water

Ensuring Food Safety Lately, arsenic levels have been

in question Rice grown in paddies in the

south that once were cotton fields contain 1.76 times more arsenic than rice grown in California

Banned pesticides heavily used in third world countries

All pesticides used in California must first be registered at the US Environmental Protection Agency & the Department of Pesticide Regulation

The California Rice Commission only supports registration of pesticides that do not have negative impacts on environment or economy

Family farmers get rapid feedback on their crop