REGIONAL— The wild rice season has officially been open for nearly three weeks, but the rice harvest has been slowed by the later-than-usual ripening of the wild grain. While the season opens by statute on Aug. 15, it remains illegal to harvest unripe or green rice.
“While we’ve heard reports of good rice in some places this year, a cooler early spring meant many lakes had late ice-out and the wild rice growing season was pushed back up to two weeks,” said Ricky Lien, DNR wetland habitat team supervisor.
In a typical year in northeastern Minnesota, some rice is harvestable by the last week of August, with the rest ripening through the first half of September.
Bois Forte officials predicted mid-September for peak ripeness at Nett Lake, although harvesting could begin sometime in the second week of the month. Ricing dates and times are set by the Bois Forte Conservation Committee.
River rice generally ripens earlier than lake rice, so ripe rice will likely be available in some places by the first week of the month. Harvesting of wild rice is not heavily monitored outside of reservations, so ricers need to rely on their own experience to prevent harvesting unripe rice.
So far, the crop appears decidedly mixed across northeastern Minnesota. Some rivers have good stands of rice, although it appears to be shorter than usual in some cases, which can make it harder to harvest. It appears rice crops are generally lighter than usual on many traditional rice lakes in the region.
For the latest wild rice reports, check the 1854 Treaty Authority website at 1854treatyauthority.org, then click on Wild Rice Conditions Update. The updates include descriptions and photos of area rice beds.