MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Minnesota’s wild rice crop is behind schedule this year because of the late spring.
Wild rice harvesting opened last weekend, but most rice stands are not ripe yet, according to the Star Tribune (https://strib.mn/1l3rBhr).
Beth Nelson, executive director for the Minnesota Cultivated Wild Rice Council, said harvesting is usually complete by Labor Day but this year it will likely be mid-September before it’s done, as long as the weather remains mild.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources said people who harvest rice may want to scout areas because some stands that were abundant last year may not have any harvestable rice.
“Early and sustained high water levels this year have hurt some rice beds,” said David Kanz, DNR assistant wildlife manager in Aitkin. “As water levels continue to come down, we’ll have to watch how the rice responds and see if there is enough growing season left for it to recover.”
More than 1,200 lakes and rivers in 54 counties contain wild rice, with the largest concentrations in north-central Minnesota.
Minnesota and California are the only states that cultivate wild rice as a crop, Nelson said, and last year Minnesota produced about 9 million pounds, slightly less than California.
“I’m told that this year looks like a relatively good crop but not a bumper crop,” she said.
Wild rice is actually the seed of an aquatic grass that is the only cereal grain native to North America. It reproduces each year from seed dropped the previous fall, and typically grows in water 1 to 3 feet deep.
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Information from: Star Tribune, https://www.startribune.com
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