ReGen Brands Recap #35

Brita & Bryce Lundberg @ Lundberg Family Farms

Four Generations of Regenerative Rice

Brita and Bryce Lundberg represent the third and fourth generation of Lundberg Family Farms. Their brand is supporting regenerative agriculture with their organic and regenerative organic rice and quinoa products.

The Brand

Lundberg Family Farms grows 17 varieties of rice, including short grains to medium grains, long grains, arborio, basmati, and jasmines. They also produce red and white rice varieties, wild rice, risotto mixes, and rice and seasoning mixes. In addition, Lundberg also makes classic thick, thin, and mini rice cakes as well as rice chips. In all, they have over 107 SKUs.

Recently, they began piloting domestically grown quinoa. Given the plant's flower and its sensitivity to heat, Lundberg is growing quinoa on fields closer to the coast in Humboldt County.

 

A Family History

In 1937, having weathered the Dust Bowl and Great Depression, the Lundberg family moved with their four sons to California from South Central Nebraska. Acutely aware of how extractive farming practices strip the land of topsoil and moisture, they were motivated to do things differently.

Taking cues from the land, they planted rice. Where they are, 100 miles north of Sacramento, the soil is heavy clay and there is hard pan three feet down that significantly limits water infiltration – basically creating field “bathtubs” ideal for planting rice.

Thankfully, water isn’t a big issue. Their farms sit about 10 miles from where the Feather River comes out of the Sierra Nevada, and about 20 miles east of the Sacramento River – a more abundant watershed than the Colorado River region. In addition, the local aquifer is largely untapped. The family relies primarily on surface water across their flat, terraced fields, with a levy system that helps to control this vital resource.

“As an intern in high school, I would interview my Uncle Wendell.  I remember him telling me that when Grandpa Albert started buying land in the area, everyone told him, Albert, that land's no good, you're gonna go broke on that land. And he would take his boys out there and pick up a shovel full of dirt and say, ‘You know what? See that weed there? That's gonna add a lot of fertility to this field. This is good ground – it just needs a good farmer.’” – Brita

Grandpa Albert to the haters ⬇️

 

Improving the Soil

Even though rice grows in water, its plant structure is a lot like wheat or oats, with a main stalk and grains at the top (a rice head or pinnacle). After the head is harvested, the straw and stalks remain in the fields. Unlike other rice farmers in the region who burned rice straw and stalks, Albert decided they should go back to the soil that produced them, decomposing over the winter and returning organic matter to the soil. To protect the soil, Albert also planted oats and vetch over the winter as cover. When it came to weeds, they relied on water to suppress weed growth and kept the rice plants covered after planting.

“Putting the straw back into the soil, and growing cover crops, takes work, but over the long term, it improves the soil. Most of the cover crops we grow are a form of fertility for the rice crop that also helps the soil receive the straw. Those practices Albert started we continue to do today.” – Bryce

 

Their Path to Commercialization

In the 1960s, Albert’s sons Eldon, Wendell, Harlan and Homer launched what became Lundberg Family Farms. In 1969, a company called Chico San was looking for farmers to grow organic rice for them. After talking to 150 farmers in the region, they approached the Lundbergs who, it turns out, were already practicing many of the principles of organic farming. 

Around the same time, the Lundbergs were pushing their local co-op to market brown rice in the U.S. instead of selling white rice abroad, and were quickly told to “Go do it yourself”. So they built a small mill and planted their first crop of organic rice in 1969, quickly investing in a bread truck to market bags of their rice to health food stores along the coast from California to Washington. It wasn’t long before Lundberg became a mainstay in this burgeoning community of consumers interested in food that was grown in a new and better way.

“In Uncle Wendell’s words, they started receiving orders from ‘long-haired hippies who filled the back of their VW buses with rice and then went on to start natural foods companies.' One of them was Michael Funk, the founder of UNFI.” – Brita

 

Regenerative Organic

It wasn’t until a few years ago that the Lundbergs became aware of the term regenerative. While they’d been practicing organic since the late 1960s, it quickly became clear that the next step in their journey was regenerative organic. They introduced their first regenerative organic SKU this year, a white basmati rice, and have set a goal for all the organic rice they grow to be regenerative organic certified by 2027.

Since the beginning, it was always about the soil and a commitment to improving it. For many farmers, soil is just a place to put seed. For the Lundbergs, soil is a living thing. 

“When you care for the soil, you produce a healthy plant which will produce healthy food, and sustain healthy people.”

“Organic is a continuum, and you have the lowest form of organic that the USDA will accept or approve, and it's practiced by a lot of really incredible farmers across the country and world. For us, regenerative organic recognizes farming practices that are elevated above what might be considered the minimum requirements for organic – farming techniques that we’ve honed for generations since Albert promised to leave the land better than he found it.” – Bryce 

 

“Ducking” Good Rice

Bryce reminds us that no two farms are the same, and as we move to define regenerative, we need to have some flexibility. While they don’t own or graze animals on their farm, they take advantage of being on the Pacific Flyway which houses some of the most important and threatened waterfowl habitats on the continent. Their farm is part of an elaborate ecosystem, replicating California’s once-abundant wetlands and providing a vital habitat for those waterfowl. The Lundbergs participated in the pilot program for the Regenerative Organic Certification, and the Regenerative Organic Alliance views their waterfowl activity as animal impact similar to rotational grazing in other systems.

This recently inspired their “Ducking Good Rice” marketing campaign to promote regenerative organic. It can be challenging to get consumers to understand and care about soil health, so the brand's marketing team thought leading with ducks might be a better way to show "the level of care" their practices entail. Leading with the fact that they are saving baby sucks reminds consumers that regenerative organic is a holistic systems approach to farming that sustains and improves the environment.

It's just kind of a lighthearted way to start that conversation with consumers. To help them understand that regenerative organic is really a holistic systems approach to farming that not just sustains but improves the environment and the world around us. Yeah, it leads with humor, but I think at the heart of the campaign is really that we care so "ducking" much. And if we care this much about ducks, imagine how much we care about our rice." - Brita

"I think it gives a measure of care. We don't have to do that, but it's an indicator of care. If you're saving ducks and protecting duck eggs it does give an indication of the level of care." - Bryce

 

A Regenerative Revolution

Over the years, many of the Lundberg’s neighboring farms have made the switch to organic. As Lundberg transitions to regenerative organic certification, they are asking all the growers who grow for them to also take that step. 

“We believe one of the best ways to cultivate a healthier world is regenerative organic farming. Every acre you can transition to regenerative is a game changer. Our first farm that we brought through was around 1,500 acres. This year our plan is to bump up to 8,000 acres so we can support more SKUs, packaged rice and rice cakes, and some of the entrees. Next, it will be 25,000 acres.” – Bryce

“Regenerative is about caring for the soil and grain from beginning to end. But it’s not just about making the region where it’s grown better. Soil that’s robust, with crop rotations and natural fertility, is going to produce a better, healthier food – and we should really be able to make that claim.” – Bryce

 

Our Path to 50% Market Share 4 Regen

Bryce believes it’s not enough to have government or leadership set goals. We need everyone working together, using their unique skills – whether it’s farming, marketing, distribution, or storytelling. We can’t just depend on farmers or on consumers to make it happen.

“It’s like this story I like to tell. There’s a guy walking on a country road and he comes upon a flock of sheep. He tells the woman he’ll bet her $100 to one of her sheep that he can tell how many sheep are in her flock. He says, ‘789 sheep’ – and he’s right and grabs one. She counters, and says, ‘Double or nothing, I can tell you exactly what you do for a living.’ He says fine and she guesses ‘economist with a government think tank’. He says ‘You’re right, and how did you know?’ She responds, ‘Put down my dog and I’ll tell you how.’” – Bryce

Everybody has different skills, and we need everybody working together. If it all depended on just farmers, we wouldn't get there. And if it was just consumers, we probably wouldn't get there. It takes everybody. - Bryce

   

You can check out the full episode with Brita & Bryce from Lundberg Family Farms HERE.

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This ReGen Recap was produced with support from Kristina Tober