Ingrained

California rice has been grown for more than a century, and is known worldwide for consistently high quality and steady production. A lot of factors contribute to that reputation, including many people working hard behind the scenes.

Gustavo Mendieta arrived in the Sacramento Valley with his family from Mexico in the 1970s, seeking opportunity. They found it, first working on a tomato farm in Colusa. Since that time, Gustavo has logged 42 years working on rice farms, most recently at Montna Farms in Sutter County.

Gustavo helps maintain the dryer at Montna Farms, which requires a lot of attention to make sure the grain is properly stored. He said people are surprised to learn that harvested rice still has a protective hull on it, which is then removed by mills before eventually heading to restaurants and supermarkets.

His hard work and dedication have brought ample rewards. Gustavo said his salary has provided well for his family, including higher education and a great career path for his children.

“My oldest daughter works for Gridley High School,” Gustavo remarked. “My oldest son is a correctional officer in Vacaville. My daughter Karen is getting a Master’s Degree to become a social worker. And Alex, my youngest son, is in his last year in high school, and would like to become a highway patrol officer.”

Gustavo said, if he had to do it all over again, he would take the same path.

“I think I did the right thing all of the time,” he said. “I found a place in the last two years like the one I worked before for 40 years. I’m happy to work with these really, really good people.”

Episode Transcript

Jim Morris: Grown on a half million acres in the Sacramento Valley. More than 4 billion pounds produced each year, providing 25,000 jobs and $5 billion to our economy annually. Habitat for 230 wildlife species, providing 61 percent of the fall and winter diet for millions of ducks and geese. Some of the facts and figures of how rice benefits California. As with any business, hardworking people are critical to success. Time to visit with someone who's devoted much of his life to rice, doing his job with professionalism, and a smile.

Welcome to Ingrained, the California Rice Podcast. I'm your host, Jim Morris. I've been working with farmers and ranchers for nearly 30 years, and I'm very passionate about those who produce our food. I'm in Gridley, one of my favorite towns in the Sacramento Valley. It's off of Highway 99. A little while ago I saw sunset along the Feather River, and now I'm visiting with Gustavo Mendieta of Montna farms. Thank you so much Gustavo, for having me in your home. How long have you lived in Gridley, and what do you like about the community?

Gustavo Mendieta: I’ve been here for 42 years in this town, and I like it because this town is really quiet and really good people around, you know.

Jim Morris: And, how long have you worked in rice, and what are some of the jobs that you did at an early stage?

Gustavo Mendieta: When we early here in this country, we lived in Colusa County and we working on growing tomatoes. So, two, three years later, we come to Gridley, and then soon we get here, I started working for a rice company in Marysville. So, I've been there for 40 years.

Jim Morris: What have you seen over the decades about the hard work that it takes to get that food produced?

Gustavo Mendieta: Yeah, it's a long process, you know, to grow the rice, and a really hard job because everything is sometimes under the water, sometimes long hours, because you have to watch all the time and take care of it, the crop, the production. To have it okay all the time until it goes to the mill.

Jim Morris: You are going to be busy soon, once the tractors get in the fields and start to work the next crop. So, how do things change, and when do they change? When does the calendar get really busy?

Gustavo Mendieta: April and May is the time when everybody start to grow, to start planting the rice in the fields. You know, you saw those airplanes you see, flying on top, doing the fertilizer and seeding the fields.

Jim Morris: What area do you work in, and what are some of your responsibilities currently at Montna Farms?

Gustavo Mendieta: My area is in the rice dryer. And, what we do there is receiving all the rice coming from the fields and the storage there for the whole year. So, the rice coming from the field is coming around 23 percent, 24 percent of the moisture. So, we have to run through the dryer six or seven passes to make it 18 percent to storage the whole year. Not really the whole year, but it has to be there until we shipping everything out to the mills.

Jim Morris: So, when rice is harvested, it is rough rice, it has a protective hull on it, it can be stored, if properly, for a very long period of time. And then as the mill needs that rice, it is then trucked to the mill and it's milled and then it goes off to supermarkets, restaurants, et cetera. And, what kind of responsibility do you have, do you feel, when you are protecting that investment that took a lot of energy to get?

Gustavo Mendieta: Well, the problem is, all depend on weather. If the weather is too wet, like raining a lot, it's hard to run the fans to keep the rice cold and safe. So, you have to watch all the time the weather. When is a real good time to run the fans? Why? Because it's too foggy, you bring moisture to inside and you lose the rice. If the north wind blowing, you dry too much the rice and the mills don't like it. So that you can lose the quality of the rice. So, you have to watch the whole place 24 hours all the time.

Jim Morris: So it's not a nine to five job. So, have you had times at night when you're worried about something and you're thinking about ... Or maybe even having to take action to protect the crop?

Gustavo Mendieta: Yeah. Sometimes, when I was working in another company for forty years, the weather made me wake up one o'clock in the morning and drive all the way down there and make sure everything close, everything safe, because the hard wind blow the roof off the storage bins. So, you have to make sure soon after the hard wind or the hard rain, you want to make sure everything closed. But, you find something getting wet and before you get there, right away you have to start to run that storage bin to different bin to keeping the rice safe. Otherwise you lose the whole bin. A lot of money invested there.

Jim Morris: Wow. So, something to think about before you have your next a sushi roll or rice bowl. There's a lot of work behind the scenes. And, tell me a little bit about before you came to California, where were you born? Where did you grow up? And tell me a little bit about that location.

Gustavo Mendieta: So, I was born 1963, and my mother take us, you know, the whole family to United States in 1976. Yeah. So, we come in and live in Colusa County before, and then we moved to Gridley.

Jim Morris: You've spent your entire professional life working on rice farms. How has that impacted your family?

Gustavo Mendieta: Ah, really good, you know. Because, when I barely start on the rice, you getting paid good money because you work long hours. So, you can get paid for the extra hours. You use that extra money to have a good education for the kids, you know. Like, my older daughter, she worked for the Gridley education place in high school. And my older son, he works for Vacaville. He's a correctional officer. And Karen, my daughter, she's getting the master degree for social work. And Alex, my son, he's in high school, the last year in high school. He would like to become a CHP. So, the opportunity to work on rice production, I got enough money to give a really good education to all my kids. So, everybod

They are one of the world’s iconic birds. They quack and waddle on land, which is a sharp contrast to their grace in the water and air. The Sacramento Valley is home to millions of ducks, and rice fields play a vital role in their lives.

Helping ducks has been the passionate pursuit of Virginia Getz for 20-years. Virginia manages conservation programs for Ducks Unlimited’s Western Region (DU), including California. Keeping rice farming strong is critical to maintaining a healthy Pacific Flyway duck population.

“Ninety-five percent of the wetland habitat that historically occurred in the Central Valley has been lost, and waterfowl populations are now heavily dependent on agricultural lands, primarily rice,” according to Getz.

Sacramento Valley rice fields provide more than 60 percent of the fall and winter diet for the millions of ducks and geese in the Central Valley. DU works with the Rice Commission and growers to help keep rice strong, which, in turn, maintains vital wildlife habitat.

California Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot recently visited Butte County and had positive remarks about the Sacramento Valley ecosystem and the vital role rice plays for wildlife habitat.

“We are seeing these flooded up rice fields teeming with birds on the Pacific Flyway,” Crowfoot said. “It always reminds me that we can find paths forward in California that protect water for people and nature.”

Ducks are inspirational to many, including artist René C. Reyes. “Ducks are an appealing subject because they are a great mix of awkwardness and beauty. On land, ducks waddle and they quack, but in the air, they are quite amazing. In water, where they are in their element, that’s when their beauty comes out and, in my art, that’s what I try to capture.”

Here's a link to where you can find learn more about waterbirds in the Sacramento Valley and how you can support conservation.

Episode Transcript

René Reyes: When I see thousands or millions of birds flying overhead during their migration, which they've been doing for thousands of years, I see a glimpse of our past.

Jim Morris: Artist, René Reyes, captures incredible detail in his wildlife paintings, including ducks, one of the most popular and beloved birds in the world.

René Reyes: They are a great mix of awkwardness and beauty. On land ducks waddle, and they quack. But in the air, they're quite amazing. They're a sight to see. But in water, where they are in their element, that's when their beauty comes out. And in my art, that's what I try to capture.

Jim Morris: The Sacramento Valley offers vital habitat for ducks. California has changed a lot since its early days, and there's a challenging balance between managing our environment, cities, and farms. Fortunately, with cooperation and creativity, there is a way to make it all work.

[Music Intro]

Jim Morris: Welcome to Ingrained, the California Rice podcast. I'm your host, Jim Morris. I'm at the DeWit Rice Farm in Sutter County, one of the places where ducks thrive. With me is Virginia Getz of Ducks Unlimited and one of my colleagues at the California Rice Commission, Luke Matthews, wildlife programs manager. Virginia, you cover the Western region for Ducks Unlimited. What area do you cover?

Virginia Getz: Yes, I'm the manager of conservation programs for DU's Western regional office. I oversee our group of biologists that are responsible for developing and delivering our on the ground conservation work in a four-state area, which includes California, Nevada, Hawaii, and Arizona.

Jim Morris: So when you look at California, specifically, in the effort to preserve the duck population for future generations, what are some of the challenges that are specific here in California?

Virginia Getz: Well, increased competition for water is the major issue that we face and it's growing in importance daily. And a particular concern is the risk of reduction or loss of water for rice straw decomposition.

Ninety-five percent of the wetland habitat that historically occurred in the Central Valley has been lost and waterfowl populations are now heavily dependent on agricultural lands, primarily rice. The economics of growing rice has been good and that's kept a large land base in rice production, but that could change. Population growth and urban encroachment are continued threats, and we also are seeing a conversion of ricelands to trees and vines, crops which are not waterfowl friendly.

Jim Morris: So what can DU do to try to maintain that rice habitat and a healthy duck population here in the Central Valley?

Virginia Getz: DU has an excellent working relationship with the rice industry and rice farmers in the Sacramento Valley. Ricelands are essential for supporting wintering waterfowl populations and therefore we work closely with rice interests on policy, outreach, and funding programs to help maintain a large rice base in the region. We provided an incentive program for farmers to implement winter flooding as an alternative to burning, to decompose their rice straw, and that helped establish flooding as a standard practice for straw decomposition. DU also hold 12 conservation easements that permanently protect about five thousand acres of ricelands in key areas in the Sacramento Valley.

Jim Morris: So Luke Matthews, what are some ways that you work with Ducks Unlimited and other conservation groups to maximize this duck habitat?

Luke Matthews: So, what we do is we apply for federal grants with Ducks Unlimited and many of our other partners to get more funding to provide habitat on the landscape, in these agricultural fields, that's beneficial for waterfowl, but also for shorebirds and many other waterbirds that use these rice fields in the Sacramento Valley. Some of them need deeper water, shallower water, versus earlier water and later water. So, a lot of the work we do is providing water on the landscape, but at the right time and at the right depths.

Jim Morris: So Virginia, looking back at ducks here in the Central Valley, can you give me a few numbers about how large the population is here?

Virginia Getz: Yeah, the Central Valley is one of the three most significant areas for wintering waterfowl in North America. And therefore, it's one of our highest priority areas for conservation. The Central Valley is truly the heart of the Pacific Flyway. It's the single most important area for wintering waterfowl in the entire Flyway, and it supports sixty percent of the migrating and wintering waterfowl in the Flyway. Now in an average year, that translates to more than five million ducks and more than two and a half million geese.

Jim Morris: If you take rice out of the equation, or if you dramatically reduced the rice acreage, what happens to the duck population?

Virginia Getz: Well, ninety-five percent of the wetland habitat that historically occurred in the Valley's been lost. Currently, about sixty-eight percent of the nutritional needs of wintering waterfowl in the Central Valley are being met by agricultural lands, primarily rice. The dependency of waterfowl and agricultural lands varies by basin. And both the Sutter and American basins, where wetlands are extremely limited, agricultural lands provide more than ninety percent of the nutritional needs of wintering waterfowl. If we were to lose about fifty percent of the rice acreage that's out there now, we would be able to support one million less waterfowl in the winter.

If you think your nearest highway packs a lot of traffic, it probably doesn’t hold a candle to the air traffic in the Sacramento Valley each fall and winter.

This is the time of year for the massive and masterful Pacific Flyway Migration, where millions of birds travel thousands of miles. Fresh from harvest, Sacramento Valley rice fields are a key rest and refuel stop for ducks, geese, and shorebirds. Combined with nearby wetlands, this part of Northern California provides an invaluable habitat to many a weary winged traveler.

Rice growers work with conservationists to ensure their fields are bird-friendly, including Avian Ecologist Kristin Sesser with Point Blue Conservation Science. Kristin and her colleagues have a multi-faceted approach to wildlife conservation. They are part of a great collaboration between farmers and conservation organizations.

“There’s no way we could succeed in our work without our amazing conservation partners. They make the work more enjoyable to engage in, the science stronger, and the programs and practices more enduring,” she remarked. “These partners include the California Rice Commission and the rice farmers themselves, as well as NRCS, The Nature Conservancy and Audubon California. We all work together to enhance the rice landscape for waterbirds.”

Hopefully, working together, waterbirds will continue to flourish in the Central Valley for future generations to enjoy.

Episode Transcript

Charley Mathews Jr.: Living out in rice country is special to me. There are people in the world that like to live near an ocean, near a river, near a creek, just for that comforting background noise. It's that type of white noise that's comforting. Out here, it's a different type of white noise. We have white swans, white geese, white shorebirds, all very noisy. But it's also something that's very comforting. For me, it's part of my childhood. It's something that I always remember.

Jim Morris: Rice grower, Charley Mathews Jr. commenting on this remarkable time of the year in the Sacramento Valley. Charley lives in Marysville, which is a very popular wildlife stopover, and one bird, in particular, attracts a lot of attention year after year.

Charley Mathews Jr.: The White Tundra Swan is probably the largest of the migrating birds. It mixes in well with the migrating ducks and geese. It's a huge bird. It's got a particularly loud sound. Its wings flap and hit the water when they take off, and it's become very popular. They're also very helpful to the rice farmer because, what they're doing with their extra-large web feet, is they're helping incorporate that rice straw, and soil, together to get it to decompose. And it's kind of like having free labor.

Jim Morris: A few inches of water in those same fields that produce America's sushi rice, now provide a vital habitat for millions of birds. The environment has taken center stage in rice country, and it's time for the Pacific Flyway migration.

Welcome to Ingrained, the California Rice Podcast, episode three. I'm your host Jim Morris. I've worked with farmers and ranchers for nearly 30 years, and I'm a passionate supporter. Rice farmers in particular, deliver two major benefits to our state: growing food and nurturing wildlife. And it's time to get back on the road so we can visit with a key conservation partner.

Not too far from Charley Mathews Jr. and Marysville, and all of the Tundra swans, and geese, and ducks, is Montna Farms, near Yuba City. And there are Tundra swans, geese, ducks, and shorebirds out here, as well as Kristin Sesser, of Point Blue Conservation Science.

Jim Morris: Kristin, some people spend their nine to five in an office. You and I once in a while, get out and get to see this beauty. What does it all mean to you when you're out here?

Kristin Sesser: I really love being in the rice fields in the Sacramento Valley. I've been watching birds since I was a kid. And in these rice fields, we are just surrounded by birds. There's something to look at everywhere.

Jim Morris: Absolutely true. And especially this time of the year, with it being the Pacific Flyway migration. So for those who don't really understand what the Pacific Flyway is, can you explain?

Kristin Sesser: Well, I think of the Pacific Flyway, as something of a highway in the sky. And so there are a lot of birds that nest in Alaska and Canada, and then they move to more Southern climes for the winter, and they come through along the Pacific Flyway. And some of them are heading down as far south as Chile and Argentina. Other birds actually stay, and winter here in the ricelands, and the managed wetlands of the Sacramento Valley.

Jim Morris: How much variety of wildlife do we have coming on this big journey?

Kristin Sesser: Well, we have birds as small as a Rufous Hummingbird, which you can see at feeders here in the Sacramento Valley. And then birds like the small, little, Least Sandpiper, which are here out in the ricelands, and I can even see some now. Then anywhere from birds as fast as the Peregrine Falcon, and as big and majestic as these Tundra Swans that we're surrounded by.

Jim Morris: When these millions of birds make their trek, how important are rice fields in the Central Valley, for that part of the equation?

Kristin Sesser: Well for waterbirds, the ricelands, and then the managed wetlands that the ricelands surround, are critically important. Many of these birds get quite a bit of their nutrition throughout the winter from rice. And it's an important place for them to rest and refuel, and they basically spend their whole winters here.

Jim Morris: And how does Point Blue, help this process in rice country to make sure the habitat is the best it can be?

Kristin Sesser: We do quite a bit of science to support the conservation efforts. And we also work with the Natural Resources Conservation Service, NRCS, to work on and develop practices that enhance ricelands for waterbirds. And some of that science, it can vary from using telemetry to track birds, to using satellites to understand... To track the water, and understand where the water is moving, and when it becomes available and when it's not.

Jim Morris: And telemetry, that caught my ear. So what does that mean?

Kristin Sesser: So telemetry is, we put these transmitters on the birds. They wear it like a backpack, and then we can use antennas to track where they go. And so, we have in the past, put transmitters on Dunlin, which is a small-medium-ish shorebird, and then also Long-billed Dowitchers. And so the Dunlin was kind of an interesting case. And that's where some of the Dunlin, we actually tracked them day and night.

There were Dunlin, individual Dunlin, that would spend both the nights, they would sleep in the rice fields, and then they would actually forage in the rice fields the next day. And then there were some Dunlin that would spend the nights in the rice fields, but then go to managed wetlands during the day. And so, it just really showed us how important having both flooded rice, and managed wetlands are for these Dunlin.

Jim Morris: That's cool because you would not have known otherwise except for that very high tech research that was done. So, unfortunately, over the decades, the worldwide bird population is down. What can you draw from that in terms of trying to maintain what we have here in rice country?

Kristin Sesser: It's true that especially shorebirds have declined quite a bit over the last 50 years. And we think one opportunity is... I would like to point out that one of the bright spots was waterfowl populations. Many of them are actually doing much better, than some of the other birds. And if we can expand some of t

Fall in the Sacramento Valley means the rice harvest and the return of welcome guests from far away. Millions of birds are now arriving in rice fields and wildlife refuges, as part of their epic annual journey along the Pacific Flyway. One of the most striking of these visitors is the snow goose; the sights and sounds of which aren’t soon forgotten.

It was a sighting of these beautiful and boisterous birds that prompted Sandy and Wally Denn to name their rice farm Snow Goose Farms. Find out more about snow geese in our valley and a ‘mom and pop’ family business where wildlife and farming thrive.

It’s harvest time in the rice fields of the Sacramento Valley, where virtually all of America’s sushi rice is grown. Join us as we go on a harvester ride with grower Brian McKenzie in Sutter County, to find out just how much of a hi-tech experience rice farming has become. We also visit with Taro Arai, Chief Dreaming Officer of Mikuni, a fantastic sushi chef with a passion for local rice. Mikuni uses 20 tons of California rice each month!

Our first-ever episode includes a discussion with radio hosts Jack Armstrong & Joe Getty. Topics include the vital role of California rice for our economy and environment, as well as how rice farming largely flies under the radar in terms of public understanding.

Show Transcript

Jim Morris: Thanks for listening to Ingrain, the pilot episode of the California Rice podcast. I'm Jim Morris, your host. A little bit of background about what you can expect with this program. We want to go in-depth about why rice matters. For most people, rice is simply that starchy side dish you have once or twice a week, but for much of the world, rice is part of culture. It's what billions of people eat multiple times every day.

We have a great story to tell here in California. A question I get a lot is, "I didn't know we even grew rice." Well, we grow a half-million acres of it. It is premium, world-class quality, and there are tremendous stories in terms of the people involved, the innovation, and an environmental story that's second to none.

I'm Jim Morris, I'll be your host. I've been in agricultural communications for 30 years. I've met thousands of farmers. I don't mind admitting that I am a homer for agriculture. It is a fundamental thing. Very hardworking, interesting people. I've been with the Rice Commission since 2007, and I've learned a lot about rice, and I can't wait to share it with you.

Our first guests, Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty. First of all, guys, congratulations, 21st anniversary of your program. Awesome.

Joe Getty: Thanks, Jim. It's good to be employed, frankly.

Jack Armstrong: That's a long time.

Joe Getty: Yeah, it is.

Jim Morris: Well, and speaking of a long time, we are blessed to have been working with you for, this'll be our ninth year now.

Joe Getty: That's astounding.

Jim Morris: Yeah, it's been a lot of fun. I remember the very first thing that we did in the field, I think we did it right, because we plied you guys with a lot of pizza right off the bat.

Jack Armstrong: That's a good plan.

Jim Morris: Yeah. So you've been to the rice harvest. We've seen wildlife together. We've had sushi. What are your thoughts when I mention the word rice?

Joe Getty: Gosh, I don't know. Jack, you want to jump in on that one?

Jack Armstrong: We regularly remark, I guess we say this in our commercials a lot when we're talking about California rice is, how has this flown under the radar to the extent that it has? I don't understand why everybody in the world doesn't immediately know that this area is where sushi rice comes from, in the way that we know Wisconsin is the dairy state, or whatever. I mean, because it's so dominant. It's absolutely amazing to me.

Jim Morris: It's interesting, too, that you'll have rice fields 15 minutes from the state capital.

Jack Armstrong: Right.

Jim Morris: But it's just something that people don't really think of, but we're all about to change that. The thing that the people see more than anything when it comes to rice is that aerial view when you go into the Sac International Airport.

Joe Getty: Yep, which I did only days ago.

Jack Armstrong: Then you think, what is all that water down there? Is that a lake? What is that? Then, yeah.

Jim Morris: And, of course, we'll talk with them too about that water depth and water efficiency, which is really key for rice. How about you, Joe, when you think about rice what are some things that come to mind?

Joe Getty: Well, aside from being a sushi freak, you know, I'm kind of used to that idea, and that it's grown here, and that's really, really cool. But I've always prided myself on being a realist, whether we're talking about politics, or climate change and the environment, and the rest of it. I know that a lot of the wild areas of California have been developed in one way or another. God, where I live, they're throwing up houses with astonishing speed.

But the part of the California Rice story that I think is so cool is that those rice fields duplicate so much of what the historic wetlands did for the birds, the millions of birds that use rice fields as home, hundreds of species, as we talked about. Also, I've long been a fisherman and I enjoy the outdoors. My favorite spot in the world is to be next to a river, and I like fly fishing and the rest of it.

The experiments that California Rice is doing with salmon, whether it's raising the little fry in the fields or raising the tiny little bugs that salmon eat, I think that's such a incredible win-win. It's amazing that it's really happening, that you could have this industry that's so important, all these family farms, and they're doing that much good for the birds and the salmon and the rest. It's just fantastic.

Jim Morris: Oh, yeah. It's awesome and it's great to share that, and that's not always the case in agriculture, but for rice in particular, you have that 360 degrees of not only producing food, but doing it in harmony with the environment. Thanks for mentioning that, and it's a great source of pride, and I hope that we as an industry can continue to move forward and do even more.

Joe Getty: Yeah. I grew up in corn country and I'm used to the farmers shooting at birds, trying to get the crows out of the cornfields, the rest of it. Not welcoming them and saying how cool it is.

Jim Morris: Well, we do that, and we love all the birds that are there, and actually, prime nesting season in the spring, and then the amazing migration in the fall and winter, and we'll be dealing with those subjects and many more on this podcast, Ingrained.

Jim Morris: So let's talk about podcast. Our family loves One More Thing. My son in particular loves the intro and the guy with the amazingly deep voice.

Joe Getty: The Armstrong and Getty podcast-only segment that we do after the radio show, yeah.

Jim Morris: Yeah, it is excellent, excellent job there. So as you guys do this podcast, what are some of the keys, either for your podcast or for others that you hear, that you think are important to make them as engaging as they can be?

Joe Getty: Oh, man. It's kind of an instinct. You either have it or you don't. Am I being entertaining? Is this compelling to other people? Am I finding a way to make it compelling? It's an art, I guess.

Jack Armstrong: There's that. It's got to be interesting on some level, whether it's funny or information. I get the sense this is going to be information-based, your podcast, a lot. But filling a niche that nobody's filling. You might be filling a niche nobody is filling in this conversation. I mean, you might really have struck upon something nobody else is doing.

Jim Morris: Well, we hope to, and we want to be real. That's one of the things that I appreciate, that you guys have done so well over the years, is when you have an interview, you're not afraid to ask a question beyond, "Give me your 15 second soundbite." How important is that in the process of getting the real story, because everybody's spinning and we need to dig a little deeper. We're willing to do that with rice. We have a great story to tell. You guys do that all the time. How important do you feel that is, and how much of a lost art is that with the media today?

Jack Armstrong: Well, it's completely gone-