On Fri, 10 Oct 2003 19:44:53 GMT,
(Arroz) wrote:

http://nytimes.com/2003/10/08/dining/08RICE.html

Sushi Rice, California's New Gold Rush By KAY RENTSCHLER
Published: October 8, 2003

snip ...

"The California rice industry is a stunning, rebellious success. From a
hardscrabble start-up bolstered by government subsidies in the 1930's,
it has become a $500 million industry that is second only to Thailand
in exports of premium rice.

The 500,000-odd semi-arid acres in the Sacramento Valley make up
a microclimate, one of three in the world, where japonica rice flourishes
(the others are in Japan and Australia)."

snip

And a lot of other info about harvesting, storing, milling, research,
packaging, etc..




Without Governmant subsidies in the form of cheap water they couldn't
grow weeds in that alkaline desert-it's all hype and bull.