Serving the California Rice Industry

September 2009Vol. 12, Number 1

A talented field of chefs is set, and optimism is running high for the 2009 SushiMasters

Finals East/West Challenge in Los Angeles. The September 20 event at the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center will mark the cul-mination of a successful year for the program highlighting this California rice-based cuisine.

Finals competitors taking the stage in Los Angeles include winners of the three SushiMasters Regional Competitions held earlier this year, including Randy Noprapa of Tara Thai Restaurant in Washington, D.C., Toshi Furihata of Moshi Moshi Restaurant in Miami Beach, Florida and Hyun Min Suh of Sushi Ran in Sausalito. A fourth

Water Quality moves to Groundwater

The Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board (CVRWQCB) has regulatory

requirements for discharge from ir-rigated lands (tailwater, water from underground drains, operational spills, stormwater runoff ) under a Conditional Waiver, formerly referred to as the Ag Waiver. Recent program revisions brought about a name change to the Irrigated Lands Regulatory Program (ILRP) because the word “waiver” gave the perception that ag-riculture was exempt from regulation. These forthcoming changes will include groundwater and management of farm fertilizer use.

The ILRP is an interim program for regulation of discharges from irrigated agricultural lands, which expires in 2011. The CVRWQCB is currently de-veloping a long-term strategy for regu-lating discharges from agricultural lands

SushiMasters Finals set for Los AngelesSushiMasters California Regional Winner, Hyun Min Suh, of Sushi Ran in Sausalito.

competitor will be 2008 SushiMasters State Finals Champion, Tomoharu Nakamura of Sanraku Four Seasons, San Francisco.

The latest competition was among the most talented and well attended in the series. The California Regional Competition in San Diego in June was held in conjunction with the Japan Society of San Diego and Tijuana’s Beer and Sake Festival. Approximately 800 people watched the competition, and media coverage included Food Network TV (see related story, page 3), a video report by CNN Interactive, the Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle and more than a dozen local media outlets.

Water monitoring near rice fields.

Continued on page 2

Continued on page 3

ELECTION RESULTS PAGE 4 • WAKAMATSU PRESERVATION PAGE 5 • CONSERVATION STEWARDSHIP PAGE 6

2

GroundwaterContinued from page 1

to protect waters within the Central Valley. The LT-ILRP will adopt a more permanent approach to surface water run-off and incorporate groundwater into the program.

Adoption of a long-term program will require California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) approval. Under CEQA, the CVRWQCB must provide a minimum of five programmatic op-tions that allow the analysis to drive the decision whether to pursue a waste dis-charge requirement (WDR), or waiver based program.

The following is from the second draft proposal:

Summary of the AlternativesAll CEQA programs must include a

no change alternative; however, that choice is never an option. Alternative No. 2 is a combination of proposals, including agriculture in an approach that requires additional time to evaluate data and develop monitoring along with management practices to meet data deficiencies. In addition, No. 2 identifies AB3030 and SB1938 groundwater management areas where water districts are currently managing water quality issues. The nickname for No. 3 is the Redding Approach, where the CVRWQCB staff is working with ranchers and farmers on individual management plans. The alternative contains management practices from the ILRP from the Central Coast area. The CVRWQCB staff like this alternative because is provides for individual farm management plans. Alternative No. 4 is a direct oversight

on the farm program from the envi-ronmental justice stakeholders. The No. 5 alternative is similar to the dairy waste discharge requirement (WDR) program with costly permits along with regional and farm monitoring.

The CRC suspects that elements of alternatives No. 2 and No. 3 will in-corporate to develop a program for ag-riculture. One negative component to No. 2 is that it takes time to develop, which is becoming less of an option in a society demanding immediate responses to concerns about health and the environment. The CRC will continue to participate in workgroup meetings, engage with the CVRWQCB staff and comment on the alterna-tive proposal. The CVRWQCB staff is working on stringent timelines to complete comments this summer. We anticipate a package available for simul-taneous public comment and Board con-sideration early in 2010. A LT-ILRP with surface and groundwater components will come to fruition in 2011.

Small SuccessesThe original proposal by CVRWQCB staff was to include monitoring and management plans for all constituents of concern that are currently in the ILRP– including pesticides. Programs such as the Department of Pesticide Regulation, Groundwater Protection Program, US Geological Survey and the Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment Program will suffice for pesticide monitoring requirements. The main constituent in the LT- ILRP is nitrogen use as a fertilizer.

SummaryBy 2011-12, agriculture in the Central and San Joaquin Valleys will participate in a LT-ILRP that may include ni-trogen management on the farm. The program will require some monitoring with implementation through man-agement plans. As the details develop, the CRC staff continues to work with diverse stakeholders in developing fea-sible elements for rice growers.

a Describes Central Valley Water Board interaction with growers. For more information on lead entity, see Attachment II, page 3, of the Workgroup Strategy Document at <http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/centralvalley/water_issues/irrigated_lands/long_term_program_development/advisory_wrgrp_strategy.pdf>.

b Water quality management plans (WQ Plans) – could be on the farm, or regional level.

c Water quality management plans are required only where water quality problems have been identified.

d FWQMP = Farm Water Quality Management Plans

e CVWB = Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board

f Legal entity assuming responsibility for waste discharge (e.g., Joint Powers Authority.)

No. Alternative Lead Entitya WQ Plansb Monitoring

1 No Change Third-Party To Address Regional Water Quality Programsc

2 Third-Party Third-Party Yes, Regional Regional Lead Entity

3 Individual CVWBe Yes, Farm Farm FWQMPd

4 Direct Responsible Yes, Farm Regional Oversight Legal Entityf and Farm with Regional Monitoring

5 Direct CVWB Yes, Farm Farm Oversight with Farm Monitoring

2nd Draft LT-ILRP Alternatives, ICF J+S 05508,05, August 2009

3

SushiMasters

Creative entries in the latest competition included artistry honoring President Barack Obama.

One of the major objectives of the SushiMasters program was achieved during the California

Regional Competition, with network televi-sion coverage of this program.

After more than six months of discussions and planning, a crew from the Food Network show “Glutton for Punishment” spent five days filming a SushiMasters epi-sode, where host Bob Blumer trained and then competed in the event. CRC Domestic and International Program Manager Laura Murphy was interviewed for the program, which is scheduled to air next spring. Sacramento sushi chef Taro Arai of Mikuni provided expert training for Blumer. The crew also filmed and interviewed Chef/Owner Billy Ngo of Kru Restaurant.

Blumer provided these comments, about his whirlwind cameo as a sushi chef:

“As a professional Glutton for Punishment, I’ve embarked on some pretty daunting chal-lenges revolving around fish. I’ve noodled for catfish in Oklahoma (catching them with my bare hands), learned to prepare deadly poisonous fugu in Osaka (then ate the fugu I prepared), and joined the ranks of the fish-tossing fish mongers at Pike’s Place Fish Market in Seattle. But nothing has been as gratifying as learning to make sushi in just five days.

Working with Taro-san of Mikuni was a real thrill. From the get-go, Taro understood the challenge—and the fact that he basically had about ten hours of real training time to

teach me how to prepare a traditional morikomi plate and develop a signature roll from scratch. I spent hours up to my elbows in Californian rice. As it turned out, learning to make the inside out rolls was easier than I thought, but mastering nigiri was disarmingly more difficult than the nimble sushi masters make it look. Fortunately Taro’s patience and my perseverance (some would call it pig-headed stubbornness) paid off, and I was able to walk out of the competition with my head held high—and a new found apprecia-tion for the art of sushi.”

Blumer won two honorary bronze medals for competing.

“Glutton for Punishment” is one of the top 10 shows on Food Network Canada. Episodes are also carried on Food Network USA, and in the United Kingdom, China, Japan, Russia and Spain. We will provide more specific information on the air date for this episode when it is known.

Courtesy Japan Society of San D

iego and Tijuana

Chef Suh took Best of Show honors in the San Diego competition, after garnering gold medals for his Morikomi Plate and Signature “Secret Garden Roll.”

“Sushi is primarily fish and rice, and this time I focused on the rice in my dishes,” Suh said. “I’m very honored and very happy.”

SushiMasters is made possible through generous sponsorships, including Japanese Restaurant News, Gekkeikan Sake and JFC International Incorporated.

Expansion of the competition to Florida and Washington, D.C. was chiefly possible through title sponsor-ship by Kirin Brewery.

An important part of the entire pro-gram involves delivering key mes-sages about the important connection California rice has with Japanese culture, including sushi. This work is achieved through CRC coordination and outreach to the emcees, chefs and media covering the competitions.

Food Network provides hands on SushiMasters coverageContinued from page 1

”Glutton for Punishment“ star Bob Blumer received a lot of support from Sushi Chef Taro Arai of Mikuni during his immersion into this complex cuisine.

Presenting sponsor of SushiMasters competitions in Washington, D.C. and Florida.

Thank you to our

sponsors!

4

As industries and concerned par-ties far and wide continue to debate and define sustainability,

California rice leaders are working to educate the public on the benefits of rice production and engage policy-makers as sustainability merges into regulation.

After more than six months of discus-sion, initial sustainable messaging for California rice has been developed and approved by the CRC Board of Directors. This language will help rice leaders communicate their story to opinion leaders and decision makers about the multitude of benefits that the industry offers. Areas covered include the environmental, economic and family farming aspects of California

California rice sustainability work progresses

rice, its strong water and air quality records and the tremendous efficiency rice farmers show in the amount of food produced from water consumed by the crop.

The CRC will continue to work to refine messages and further quantify sustainable aspects of rice farming through research projects involving the University of California and other ap-propriate channels.

While no uniform definition or stan-dards exist for sustainability, this is a movement gaining momentum that will likely garner headlines and increasingly be reflected in regulation. The CRC will continue to work with the industry to be fully prepared in the future.

District 1 (Butte)

MembersMichael Boeger Ralph Cassady

AlternatesDominic Nevis Donna Bayliss

District 3 (Glenn, Tehama)

MemberSandy Willard Denn

AlternateJerry Cardoso

District 2 (Colusa)

MembersMike LuxLeo LaGrande

AlternatesJoe StruckmeyerVacant seat

District 4 (Yuba, Sutter)

MemberMichael Rue

AlternateMichael Bosworth

District 5 (Sac, Placer, Yolo, SJV)

No open seats

Grower elections completedCongratulations to the growers elected to the 2009/10 CRC Board of

Directors. Listed below are tabulated election results by district, based on votes compiled by the California Department of Food and Agriculture.

California rice will be included in an upcoming documentary on NHK-TV, the popular

Japanese network similar to the U.S. public broadcasting system.

Close coordination occurred with the industry prior to the crew’s ar-rival. NHK spent two days in the Sacramento Valley last month, touring the Port of West Sacramento, rice fields and the Rice Experiment Station.

Their story revolved around herbicide resistant weeds in California rice and any possible impact to Japan. Those interviewed included University of California Weed Scientist, Dr. Albert Fischer, farmer Michael Rue and CRC President and CEO, Tim Johnson.

During the television shoot, a clear connection was made that California rice shipped to Japan should not pose any weed concern, because it’s not planted. Other factors conveyed in-cluded that the milling process would devitalize any weed seed that may make it into milled rice and that strict inspections are in place to ensure that California-grown rice meets the most exacting quality standards.

Japanese media tours California rice fields

5

Two years after the first meetings of the Sacramento Chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League, the American River Conservancy and the CRC, Senator Barbara Boxer has intro-

duced the Gold Hill–Wakamatsu Preservation Act.

“This legislation will protect this historic site in California’s Gold Country, where a small band of immigrants established the first Japanese settlement in the nation more than a century ago,” com-mented Senator Boxer. “I am proud to introduce this bill ….to pre-serve the story of the Wakamatsu colonists for future generations.”

The bill would authorize the Bureau of Land Management to acquire the Veerkamp Ranch, site of the colony, allowing the restoration of historic buildings and the development of an interpretive center.

“The rice industry has been instrumental in assisting the Japanese American community and the conservancy in this effort. There is no way we would be as far as we are today without their help,” stated Alan Ehrgott, Executive Director of the American River Conservancy.

Governor Reagan designated the site as a state historic site in 1969 and it is currently being reviewed for listing on the National Register of Historic places.

Private fundraising and grants have generated $1,000,000 toward the purchase of the property with an additional $483,000 state grant awarded for the restoration of the Graner house where the colonists lived.

Those interested in donating to the project can go to the ARC Web site at www.arconservancy.org and click on the Gold Hill–Wakamatsu tab on the right.

Gold Hill–Wakamatsu Preservation Act introduced

Historic photo courtesy of the G

old Hill-W

akamatsu Project

6

New Conservation Stewardship ProgramNRCS currently accepting applications to the program

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) recently announced that the sign-up period for the new Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) is

open through the end of this month. The CSP is a working lands program designed to recognize good conservation stewardship on farming operations. The CRC encourages its members to give this program a good hard look and con-sider enrolling.

Given the obvious overlap of this enrollment period with har-vest activities, we encourage interested growers to investigate their interest in the program as soon as possible to preserve adequate time to complete the application process, if desired.

General Background on the new CSP• The new Conservation Stewardship Program is the

“remodeled” Conservation Security Program in which several hundred rice farms are currently participating. Notable changes include:• Now offered nationwide to all farmers rather than just

certain watersheds• No longer ranked against other contracts outside of

California• Program funding now distributed to each state by

formula, allowing each of the state offices to have a set amount of annual funding to distribute

• No longer based upon various “tiers of conservation” and, instead, evaluates applications and treats all approved contracts at a common level

• Requires that all contracts be five years in length• Payment limit is $40,000 per year over the life of each

five-year contract• Participants are required to address at least one additional

priority resource concern during the life of the contract

• Growers must have control over the land for the contract period

• Participants must enroll the entire farming operation• A self-screening checklist is available for interested

applicants to further evaluate their interest and likely eligibility to the program

• NRCS will use a “pre-approval” process to limit the amount of information needed upfront from interested applicants.

CRC Activities to Support MembershipAs with the previous CSP, the CRC is working to increase the likelihood of this new program working well for California rice producers. These include the following:• CRC’s ongoing coordination and interaction with the

State NRCS Office in Davis• Existing CRC Web link in place (www.calrice.org) to

serve as a one-stop shop for important CSP-related information

• A specific grower letter addressing the CSP was sent to each CRC member in August 2009

• NRCS staff joined the CRC’s table at Rice Field Day to advise growers on this new program

• The CRC held CSP workshops featuring NRCS presentations on September 2 in Colusa and Woodland.

Through these activities and others that develop in the future, the CRC will continue to focus on this new Conservation Stewardship Program as a primary working lands program available to its interested members. We welcome you to visit our Web site or contact the CRC’s Environmental Affairs Manager, Paul Buttner, at (916) 387-2264 if you have any questions.

Courtesy the Richvale History Writing Group/Community Foundation of Richvale

7

Rice farmer and historian Dennis Lindberg was

instrumental in the Richvale Centennial Celebration.

owhere is the California rice connection with small towns in the Sacramento Valley

more evident than in Richvale. The community of 250 saw its population triple during a moving celebration of its centennial in June, presented by the Community Foundation of Richvale.

This 100th birthday party included a living history lesson, antique cars and farm equipment, food, music and old-fashioned games. It also provided a rousing reminder of the civic pride, work ethic and optimism found in this Butte County town.

Clearly evident was the connection those in Richvale feel with their main-stay, rice.

“When rice came along, that was our salvation,” said local farmer and com-munity historian Dennis Lindberg.

“That was the thing that completely saved the town. This is some of the best rice ground in the world, and the amount we produce reflects that.”

CRC assisted in media coverage of the centennial celebration, which included the San Jose Mercury News, Sacramento Bee, local media and a story planned

Historic rice community celebrates its centennial

for an upcoming issue of Sierra Heritage magazine.

The debates involving California’s limited water supply will take their place alongside the budget as

one of the most contentious issues of our modern political era. Both require leadership and compromise – rare commodities in the Capitol these days. Regardless of the outcome, it is certain that the hot topic on many a day will be how water is used, who benefits and the “costs” to all Californians. With this in mind, the CRC is working with public relations experts Nuffer, Smith and Tucker to refine our messaging on rice and water.

This effort follows an early push to edu-cate legislators and the urban public on the huge habitat benefits of rice fields and the actual depth of the water in our fields. As the next important step, industry members and water experts recently spent a day matching our goals of factual communications and support of existing water rights with the realities of a concerned public.

The outcome of this effort will now guide the CRC as we continue to en-sure that the water used in rice fields is appreciated for its value, efficient use and availability for downstream use.

Rice water use communications

refined

N

CALIFORNIA RICE COMMISSION

Phone 916/387-2264 • Fax 916/387-2265E-mail calrice@calrice.org

www.calrice.org8801 Folsom Blvd., Suite 172Sacramento, CA 95826-3249

Executive Committee:Mark Kimmelshue, Chairman

Charley Mathews, Vice ChairmanMichael Sandrock, SecretaryFrank Rehermann, Treasurer

Don Bransford • Keith Davis Grant Lundberg • John Valpey

CRC Staff:Tim Johnson, President & CEO

Paul Buttner, Environmental Affairs ManagerJulie Cader, Finance & Administration Manager

Roberta Firoved, Industry Affairs ManagerDiana Merca, Administrative AssistantJim Morris, Communications Manager

Laura Quinones-Murphy, Domestic & International Promotion Manager

Jessica Welch, Administrative Assistant

PresortedStandard

U.S. Postage PAID

Sacramento, CAPermit No. 1704

8

This newsletter is printed with 75% recycled and reused paper.

Applications for the 2010 Rice Leadership Development Program are due October 3.

Interested applicants need to submit a completed application form accompa-nied by two letters of recommendation. You can view eligibility requirements and apply online, or download the ap-plication and recommendation forms from the following Web site: www.usarice.com/leadership_program.

The John Deere Company, Syngenta Crop Protection, Inc. and RiceTec Hybrid Seed provide funding for the Rice Leadership Development Program through grants to the Rice Foundation. The USA Rice Federation develops and manages the program on behalf of the Rice Foundation.

The Rice Leadership Development Program gives future leaders a com-prehensive understanding of the rice industry, with an emphasis on personal development and communication skills.

Rice Leadership Development Program deadline approaching

A special committee of rice industry and agribusiness leaders evaluate applica-tions and letters of recommendation, and conduct interviews to determine the five rice producers and two individuals from rice-industry related professions who will make up the Rice Leadership Development Class.

For more information about the Rice Leadership Development Program, or to receive brochures and forms, please contact Chuck Wilson at 870/673-7541, cwilson@usarice.com, or CRC Industry Affairs Manager Roberta Firoved at 916/387-2264, rfiroved@calrice.org.

Courtesy U

SA Rice Federation

2009 Rice Leadership Class at the Chicago Board of Trade.