Rice Cultivation
Modern mechanized rice cultivation is far removed from the backbreaking, labor-intensive methods still used in some parts of the world. In the U.S, farmers use sophisticated technology to shape the fields so they slope gently, guaranteeing uniform flooding early in the growing season and controlled drainage at harvest time. Some use grain drills to plant the seeds to the proper depth; others cast the seed from airplanes.
Months later, when the rice stalks and leaves have turned brown, indicating harvest time, the fields are drained and harvested efficiently with combines. These impressive machines make quick work of the task that peasants have done laboriously for centuries, cutting the stalks and separating the grain from the so-called "straw."
These combines transport the grain, still in its hull, to commercial dryers, which remove moisture to prevent spoilage during storage. At this stage, the rice is known as paddy rice or rough rice, and it can be stored virtually indefinitely. But it is not ready for the stovetop yet.
The final step is milling, a mechanized process that American mills have perfected. The kernels are separated from any debris, then passed through mechanical rollers to crack and remove the hull. What emerges is whole-grain rice (or brown rice), its bran and germ fractions still intact. To make white rice, the rice grains are rubbed against each other to remove the bran and germ. Finally, the white rice is enriched with a thin coating of vitamins to replace some of the nutrients lost during milling.
The U.S. rice industry's use of modern technology combined with the highest standards of production result in rice that is unsurpassed in quality and taste.