Rice Chief weighs in on current crop

Poor ricing in 2024 so far

In a conversation with Mille Lacs Band Rice Chief Curt Kalk (pictured above) about this years rice crop in the mid-Minnesota region, he said his observations round the area is that rice is mostly “sparse”. Kalk, who as Rice Chief is responsible for determining when rice season opens in the districts surrounding Mille Lacs, mentioned that ricing was open this season starting Friday, Aug. 30, but his experience so far with ricing, especially on Lake Onamia, has been bleak. Kalk claims that, because of early high water, the rice plants were not able to produce the kernels as usual, so many of the plants are fruitless.