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 Farming USA Rice Federation Rice Month Promotion “ O ur 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 2 nd 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 Land Family 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