Lundberg Family Farms Accelerates Research & Development of Climate-Friendly Regenerative Organic Rice Varieties Through Proprietary Rice Breeding Program

Brand celebrates 50th anniversary of its nursery: The only specialty organic rice breeding program of its kind in the U.S.

RICHVALE, Calif., Feb. 25, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Lundberg Family Farms, a leading Regenerative Organic Certified® brand known for its California-grown rice and rice-based products, has committed to accelerating research and development of rice varieties that are compatible with climate-friendly regenerative organic farming practices. Introduced this week, Lundberg's new Black Pearl Rice – which took 12 years to develop – was created to thrive within California's Sacramento Valley and Lundberg's regenerative organic system. It also has a 25% higher crop yield, producing 25% more rice per acre.

This announcement coincides with the 50th anniversary of Lundberg's proprietary nursery program, the only specialty organic rice breeding program of its kind in the U.S.

Today, four companies control 60% of the world's crop seed and agricultural chemical sales. Most crops are developed for resistance to chemical herbicides and pesticides, which contribute to climate change throughout their lifecycle. However, Lundberg studies, selects, and develops rice varieties for compatibility with regenerative organic farming practices, like drowning and drying up weeds instead of dousing their fields with chemicals. A recent study from researchers at UC Davis indicates that this Dry Up method of organic weed management can help reduce global warming potential (GWP) by 49% relative to continuous flood.

"In the 1970s, my dad started our nursery program in an effort to bring diverse rice varieties to American consumers," said Bryce Lundberg, vice president of agriculture at Lundberg Family Farms. "It didn't take long for us to realize that we'd have to develop our own rice varieties if we wanted them to not only taste delicious but also thrive under organic conditions. We continue to invest in our breeding program because we believe the quality of our food and the future of our planet depend on it."

At any given time, Lundberg's nursery is testing thousands of varieties. However, Lundberg's goal isn't more rice varieties, it's better rice varieties: better appearance, aroma, flavor, footprint, and fit for growing in Northern California's climate. It's like looking for a needle in a haystack. Over the past 10 years, Lundberg has trialed over 80,000 unique breeding lines, and in its 50-year history, Lundberg has successfully commercialized about a dozen. Now, Lundberg is increasing that pace, with three new varieties: Black Pearl, Red Jasmine, and Arborio Rice. It's a reflection of Lundberg's commitment to not only transitioning all the organic rice they grow to Regenerative Organic Certified® but also their sense of urgency around developing rice varieties that can be resilient in a changing climate.

Growing Better Rice
Starting this year, any new variety of rice commercialized in Lundberg's nursery will need to produce 10% more rice per acre. When trialing new rice varieties, Lundberg looks for characteristics including:

• Consumer delight: Does it cook up consistently, fill the kitchen with an irresistible aroma, and taste delicious?
• Seedling vigor: Does it jump up through the deep water and outcompete the weeds?
• Early maturity: A shorter season and earlier harvest can help conserve resources and improve quality.
• Lodging resistance: Does it stay standing? When rice falls down, it is hard to harvest.
• Ideal plant type: Not too tall, a strong stalk to support the plant, and multiple tillers.
• High yield potential: Produces lots of rice per acre. 
• Yield stability: Tolerates heat and cold.

"The Lundbergs have always been obsessed with rice, from going organic before it was cool to creating a market for brown rice," said Craig Stevenson, CEO at Lundberg Family Farms. "But nobody is going to buy rice just because it's good for people or the planet—it also needs to taste great. Through our breeding program, we're taking our rice obsession to a new level and developing natural, non-GMO varieties of rice that can do it all."

Expanded Portfolio of Products
More than 99% of all the organic rice Lundberg grows is now Regenerative Organic Certified.^® Next month at the Natural Products Expo in Anaheim, California, Lundberg will showcase new products made with Regenerative Organic Certified® rice, including the new Black Pearl variety, at Booth #815.

Available at retailers nationwide, including Whole Foods Market, Sprouts Farmers Market, Amazon, and Lundberg.com.

About Lundberg Family Farms 
Lundberg Family Farms is the leading U.S. Regenerative Organic Certified^® food brand best known for its packaged rice varieties and rice snacks. Family-owned and founded in 1937, Lundberg's farming practices are a force of land-restoring, habitat-preserving, community-building wonder. And if they care this much about how rice is grown, just imagine how much they care about how it tastes. Dig deeper at www.lundberg.com and follow the farm on Instagram, Facebook, X, and Pinterest.

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SOURCE Lundberg Family Farms