How is rice grown

Rice harvesting in Arkansas. Photo by Garry D. In the U. In between rice crops, a crop called vetch is planted in the check. To prepare a rice check, a tractor pulls a special plow called a moldboard plow that turns under the vetch, which acts as compost and as a fertilizer. Then tractors level the rice check.

Rice grows best in clay soil, which softens underwater but does not let water drain through once it is saturated. The rice is kept flooded in inches of water until just before harvest. The growing rice is treated periodically with pesticides and herbicides to kill insects and weeds.

Rice stubble is the stalks and roots of the rice plant left in the ground after it has been harvested. Rice stubble is very thick and difficult to deal with. Livestock graze on recently harvested paddocks and eat some of the rice stubble. A portion of the remaining stubble is usually burnt off and a winter cereal crop, such as wheat, is planted. On some rice farms, rice stubble is left to break down naturally and is incorporated into the soil, to improve the soil structure.

Some stubble is baled and removed from the paddock as rice straw. The majority of this is used as stockfeed to supplement diets in mostly beef and dairy cattle. Additionally, due to its slow rate of breakdown and weed free nature, it makes excellent garden mulch. Rice bran is the outer layer of the brown rice grain. The rice bran is removed during the milling process if white rice is to be produced.

Stabilised rice bran is sold as a health food in supermarkets and health food shops, or to food manufacturers who use it as an ingredient in foods such as crispbreads and breakfast cereals.

During the rice milling process some of the rice grains break. Most of these broken grains are removed from the milling process. The larger broken rice grains are used in pet foods and stock feed, or breakfast cereals. The smaller broken rice grains are ground into rice flour which can be used in baby foods, snack foods, including rice crackers, muesli bars, or as a baking ingredient. Ground broken rice grains are also used in manufactured foods, such as sausages and milk powder drinks.

How is rice grown? Australian grown rice Follow rice grower John Hawkins as he grows Koshihikari rice from a seedling to a rice plant. Update 2 — Growing The warm, sunny weather and lush, green rice fields will transport you to the fertile Riverina region in NSW, Australia, as we check in with John on the progress of his Koshihikari rice crop.

History of rice Rice is considered one of the most popular foods in the world. See More. Rice facts Up to 40 million people across the globe eat Australian rice every day Australian rice growers are some of the most efficient and productive in the world and grow rice varieties ideal for the Australian climate. The Riverina region of NSW where SunRice grows its rice, has long summer days and high summer temperatures without the humidity of tropical climates, which is well suited to the varieties of rice that Australia grows.

Each year state governments assess the irrigation water resource availability in the large water storage dams found in the upper reaches of the Australian Alps. They determine the water allocations for different users based on hierarchy and storage levels.

Most rice is grown using general security water that the state governments allocate. General security water is also used by irrigators to grow other annual crops like wheat or corn. Irrigators who hold general security licences receive their water last in the hierarchy of allocations, after high security water users that use water for permanent plantings, stock and domestic water, water for towns and recreational uses, and water for the environment When allocations are low due to lower storage levels in dams, rice growers and general security irrigators are the first to have their allocations reduced.

The Australian rice industry was the first Australian agricultural industry to initiate biodiversity enhancement and greenhouse gas reduction strategies. The Australian rice industry has a fully integrated supply chain and the rice that is sold is grown, dried and stored, milled, packaged, marketed and sold both locally and internationally.

Is rice a grain? Rice is a cereal, related to other cereal grass plants such as wheat, oats and barley. What is in a grain of Rice? Where is SunRice rice grown in Australia? Rice production in Australia Why is rice grown in Australia? Should rice even be grown in Australia given water scarcity? Is irrigating rice a wasteful use of water? They achieve high yields. They operate under strict environmental controls.

They are also rapid adopters of new technology. The Rice Growing Process. Rice Planning Rice farmers grow rice in a rotation with a range of other crops such as wheat, barley and canola, whilst some have also incorporated a mixed farming approach adding livestock and pastures into their farm plans. Rice Growing Through November until February, the rice plant grows a main stem and a number of tillers.

Farmers use large, conventional grain harvesters to mechanically harvest rice in Autumn. Now that you know how rice is harvested, go and enjoy one of these ridiculously awesome and easy rice bowls. We think you've earned it. Want to read more from HuffPost Taste? Follow us on Twitter , Facebook , Pinterest and Tumblr. News U. Politics Joe Biden Congress Extremism. Special Projects Highline. HuffPost Personal Video Horoscopes. Follow Us. Terms Privacy Policy. All rights reserved.

China produces and consumes the most rice out of any country in the world. It is responsible for one third of the global rice economy. Next follows India, Indonesia and Vietnam. Rice paddies are fields of rice seed that hold a certain level of water -- usually about six inches to start. Paddies may be built into terraces to facilitate flooding. One terrace will be flooded to initiate the rice growing process, and over time as the rice matures, farmers will lower the level of water by releasing it to terraces below.