The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources announced its 2022 wild rice season shows another year of a varied outlook for harvesters. Based on ground and aerial surveys, this year's wild rice crops appear to be relatively average across the northern part of the state.
"While most lakes, flowages and rivers that have historically produced wild rice are likely not going to produce enough to make harvesting efforts worthwhile, there are a few regions showing promise for good harvest," said Jason Fleener, DNR Wetland Habitat Specialist.
Wild rice harvesting offers the opportunity to explore Wisconsin by water, collect wild food, support local economies and help restore this essential resource by purchasing a wild rice harvest license. Wild rice maturity ranges from late August through September across the state and differs by water body and rice beds within them.
According to the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission, brown spot (a fungal disease) was noted in many areas from on the ground and from the air, but no definitive outbreaks have been observed that could pose a risk to harvest in ways it has in past years. The grazing of rice beds during the growing season continues to be an issue in some waters with abundant geese and swans.
Wild rice harvesting, or ricing, is a way to put nutritious, delicious, natural foods on the table while enjoying the outdoors. Unlike cultivated or paddy wild rice, natural wild rice grains have greater variation in color and are lighter than the black-grained cultivated wild rice often sold in stores.
Categories: Wisconsin, Crops, Harvesting