SLO Country Magazine Article
Why rice is not grown in San Luis Obispo County
Published Summer 2011
With the bounty of agriculture products in San Luis Obispo County, you many wonder why rice is not a local crop. After all, thousands of varieties grow in more than 100 countries as a staple food for over half the world’s population, and rice has fed more people a longer period than any other crop. But the climate and resources determine where rice can grow – and SLO County lacks the warm summer nights, vast level acreage and water necessary to flood fields.
