Chico Area Agriculture: Rice, Almonds, Walnuts and Apples

Chico sits in one of the most productive farm valleys in the country. Rice fills the flat basin to the south, almonds and walnuts line the roads out of Durham and Chico, and apples still grow on the Paradise Ridge. This section explains each one, what the sources say, and how to see it without trespassing.

Checked November 1, 2026

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• 500,000acres of rice in the Sacramento Valley, per the California Rice Commission
• $702.7MButte County farm value in 2025, per the county report (as printed on our guide)
• 800acres at the Chico State University Farm
• 1904year rail service reached Paradise, per the Town

• Rice
• Orchards
• History and Learning
• Visiting
• Before You Go: Check These
• Questions People Ask

Rice: The Valley Floor

• Rice CountryHow rice is grown through the year, the calendar, and where to look around Biggs, Gridley and Richvale.
• RichvaleA small town built on rice: when settlers arrived, why the clay soil mattered, and the local history book.
• Rice and WildlifeWhy flooded fields feed millions of ducks and geese, and where to watch them.

Orchards: Almonds, Walnuts and Apples

• Almond CountryBloom, bees and harvest in the orchards around Durham and Chico.
• Walnuts, Prunes and Other CropsThe county ranking: what grows here and what it is worth.
• Paradise Apple OrchardsApples on the Ridge, Noble Orchards, and Johnny Appleseed Days.

History and Learning

• Rancho Chico Farming HistoryJohn Bidwell and the 26,000-acre rancho that tried plants from around the world.
• Chico State University FarmAn 800-acre working teaching farm south of town.

Visiting

• Farmers Markets and Farm StandsWhere to buy from growers: the Chico markets, a Ridge farm stand and the university farm store.
• Farm Year CalendarWhat is happening in the fields and orchards, month by month.

Orchards and rice fields are working private land. Look from public roads and pullouts, keep out of the rows, and never block a farm gate (general guidance).

Where The Farms Are

Town centers only, to show how the farm country sits around Chico. Pins are approximate.

Map of Chico Area Farm Towns

Questions People Ask

What are the main crops around Chico?

Our Farm and Orchard Country guide, citing the county’s 2025 report, lists walnuts, rice and almonds as the top three by value, then prunes. See Walnuts, Prunes and Other Crops.

Where is rice grown near Chico?

South of Chico on the valley floor. Northern California Public Media puts Richvale about 25 miles south of Chico. See Rice Country.

Where are the almond orchards?

Around Durham and Chico, per the Blue Diamond crop report and our bloom guide. Almonds bloom between mid-February and mid-March, per the Almond Board. See Almond Country.

Are there still apple orchards in Paradise?

CA Grown says Noble Orchards on the Ridge is the only remaining apple orchard in Butte County. We have not confirmed that with the orchard. See Paradise Apple Orchards.

Can I walk through an orchard or rice field?

No, not unless the owner invites you. They are working private land. Look from public roads and use the public places named on these pages.

Sources

1. California Rice Commission, home page: https://calrice.org/ (checked November 1, 2026)
2. CA Grown, Noble Orchards: https://californiagrown.org/blog/noble-orchards/ (checked November 1, 2026)
3. CSU Chico, University Farm: https://www.csuchico.edu/academics/college/agriculture/farm/index.shtml (checked November 1, 2026)
4. Our own guide, Farm and Orchard Country (Butte County Agricultural Commissioner 2025 report, as printed there)