California Rice Farmers Optimistic After Wet Winter, Spring

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — A major money maker in California is making a comeback after recent rains.

When it comes to California rice, 97 percent of it is grown in the Sacramento region. But California's drought left a lot of rice fields barren.

Now, Central Valley rice farmers are looking up as they reap the benefits of recent storms. Even though much of the state is still reeling from a historic drought, this year's wet weather is making the rice harvest season more promising.

That wasn't the case during the Fall of 2014 for second-generation rice farmer Mike Dewit who was forced to let 30 percent of his rice fields in the Yolo basin go to waste.

The California Rice Commission says almost a quarter of the state's $5 billion crop was ruined.

"It is better," said spokesman Jim Morris. "We're thankful we had a wet fall and winter."

With the recent rains comes a new sense of optimism.

"This is really good news for all of our region for the fact that we're going to have more rice grown this year," he said.

The rain-soaked fields could lead to more than just rice crops.

"We have about 2,000 family farmers in the state. And this field will be planted in the near future," he said.

If the industry's fall projections are correct, there should be a bountiful rice harvest. But it won't know for sure until September's harvest.