"Driving through Sacramento Valley, I've seen many more open fallow rice fields with nothing on them," said Andrew Broddus, an agricultural economist and president with Wells Fargo Agricultural Services. During the seed planting and growing season, which runs from March through August, farmers flood rice fields with up to five inches of water.īut three consecutive years of drought in the state have baked hundreds of thousands of acres of Sacramento Valley's lush green rice paddies into dry barren land. Growing rice - a semi-aquatic plant - requires an abundance of water. Nearly all of the nation's sushi rice comes from California. If you've eaten sushi in the US, the sticky rice most likely is a medium grain variety called Calrose, sourced from the Golden State. The Sacramento Valley is the hub of California's rice production.
While it was much-needed, the back-to-back heavy storms also ravaged the state for weeks, creating dangerous flooding and mudslides that led to at least 20 deaths and billions of dollars in economic losses, by some estimates.īut in one part of the state, anxious communities are ready to embrace more rain.
(CNN) - The fierce storms and heavy rain that have pounded California in recent weeks could be the lifeline that one industry - and the communities that rely on it for their own survival - desperately needs.Īfter years of drought, California has received an epic amount of rain already in 2023.
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