I Learn How to Harvest Rice by Hand at the Rice Experiment Station!

In this episode of Rice Farming TV I learn how to harvest rice by hand at the Rice Experiment Station in Biggs, California. After a bit of October rain put a pause on our own 2018 rice harvest operation, I decide to visit the test plots at the experiment station. A small team were cutting the rice using only a sharp knife. They would carry small bundles of rice to a stationary harvester type piece of equipment to separate the grain from straw.

These small test plots at Rice Experiment Station are used to breed quality new California rice varieties. Key traits are being developed through these breeding experiments; such as high yielding, quality milling and great tasting properties.