Rice Country: How Rice Is Grown Around Chico

Rice is the crop that defines the flat country south of Chico. The California Rice Commission says the Sacramento Valley has about 500,000 acres of it. This page follows a rice crop from leveling to harvest, using the Commission’s own growing calendar.

Checked November 1, 2026

• 500,000acres of rice in the Sacramento Valley
• ~8,500 lbharvested per acre, per the Commission (“nearly”)
• ~40rice varieties grown in California
• Sept–Octwhen combines cut the grain

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• The Rice Year
• Why Here
• Where to Look
• Before You Go: Check These
• Questions People Ask

The Rice Year

The California Rice Commission’s Rice 101 page gives this order of work.

Why Rice Grows Here

Two local accounts give the same reason. California Bountiful says the heavy, clay-like soil around Richvale was unsuitable for most crops the early settlers knew, and that they learned by trial and error it suited rice. Northern California Public Media quotes a longtime farmer calling it “Stockton clay adobes” that were poor wheat land but well suited to rice. Our Richvale page tells that story.

Where to Look

• Richvale: a rice town about 25 miles south of Chico, per Northern California Public Media.
• Durham, Gridley and Biggs: Highway 99 runs through rice and orchard country. Biggs is credited with the region’s first commercial rice crop (Northern California Public Media).
• Gray Lodge Wildlife Area for winter birds over the flooded land (see Rice and Wildlife).
• The California Rice Experiment Station in Biggs breeds rice varieties and holds a yearly Rice Field Day in August (as printed on our Farm and Orchard Country guide; not re-read for this page).

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).

Questions People Ask

When is rice harvested near Chico?

The California Rice Commission says combines cut the grain in September and October.

Why are the fields flooded?

The Commission says seeds are dropped into shallow-flooded fields, and many farmers reflood after harvest so straw breaks down and birds have habitat.

How much rice does the Sacramento Valley grow?

The Commission says about 500,000 acres. It does not give a Butte County figure on the pages we read.

Can I visit a rice field?

Only from public roads. They are private farms. For a public place to watch the winter birds, see Gray Lodge Wildlife Area.

More in Agriculture

• Agriculture Home
• Rice Country
• Richvale
• Rice and Wildlife
• Almond Country
• Walnuts, Prunes and Other Crops
• Paradise Apple Orchards
• Rancho Chico Farming History
• Chico State University Farm
• Farmers Markets and Farm Stands
• Farm Year Calendar

Sources

1. California Rice Commission, Rice 101: https://calrice.org/rice-101 (checked November 1, 2026)
2. California Rice Commission, home page: https://calrice.org/ (checked November 1, 2026)
3. California Bountiful (California Farm Bureau), Historic Richvale: https://www.californiabountiful.com/magazine-features/magazine-issues/marchapril-2009/historic-richvale (checked November 1, 2026)
4. Northern California Public Media, A Rich History of Rice Farming in Richvale (Oct. 21, 2015): https://www.mynspr.org/agriculture/2015-10-21/a-rich-history-of-rice-farming-in-richvale (checked November 1, 2026)