What Drought....

[Darian]

Yesterday on the way to Pleasanton, while crossing the Yolo causeway (I-80), noticed that the rice fields to the south side of the causeway are flooded all the way over to the preserve and down as far as I could see. I know that rice is grown down there each year but it seems a bit early.

[TonyMuljat]

Yesterday on the way to Pleasanton, while crossing the Yolo causeway (I-80), noticed that the rice fields to the south side of the causeway are flooded all the way over to the preserve and down as far as I could see. I know that rice is grown down there each year but it seems a bit early.

Is rice one of the crops that is water wasteful, or is it considered an efficient use of water?

[Darian]

Flood irrigation is one of the least efficient of water uses. Not an expert but in the case of rice, it might be the only way to grow it. Flooded rice fields do provide some benefit to migratory water fowl, tho.

[Ed Wahl]

Here you go D, found this on npr news.

http://www.npr.org/2014/02/22/280766...pop-up-cuisine

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Sounds good to me.....

[Frank Alessio]

More Bullshit...Call it what it is Rot water....

[Ed Wahl]

Frank, can you explain a bit further? Sure it's used to decompose rice straw, but the geese that walk it in are also used for that. Would the term Rot Birds fit? It seems win win. So what's the BS?
Ed

[Mike O]

Geese don't eat the straw until it begins to rot. So much indigestible, until it rots

[Ed Wahl]

It's all indigestible that's not the point. Geese don't eat it rotten or not. Nothing eats it, it's rotten straw. The theory is that the waterfowl will walk it into the mud so it decomposes and doesn't cause fungal problems for the next crop. They used to burn it off for the same reason but with much more environmental harm.

Ed

[Jake O]

As others have said, birds don't eat the straw, they eat the rice grain that was inadvertently left when the fields are harvested. Those fields you see flooded by the bypass were likely fed out two months ago, and the straw has composed plenty enough for farming practices. The reason why they are still flooded is that those fields are a part of the yolo wildlife refuge, so they will likely keep water on them until the end of the month. If you see any other flooded rice this time of year, its due to federal subsidy programs that were instituted last year for "shorebirds"--snipe, etc. Gov actually pays the farmer to keep water on longer--not sure if they still have this program in effect this year with the droubt.

One thing people need to remember is that water for environmental purposes now rivals the percentage of water used for ag purposes. Maybe we ought to rethink how this "environmental" water is used, just as we are doing with farming water. Birds have migrated in the central valley for years without these "programs" in place--simply put, they don't need rot water to winter over, in the month of february.