Detroit Lakes, Minn, (KDLM) – Wild rice harvesting season officially opens on Aug. 15, however, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is reminding harvesters that rice stands must be ripe before they can be legally harvested.
According to a news release, the agency said Minnesota’s green rice law makes it illegal to harvest unripe or “green” rice, even within the dates of the harvest season. So, although rice beds might look like they are ready, ricers must make sure the grain is ripe and falling easily from the stalk before attempting to harvest it.
Nicholas Snavely, Fergus Falls area wildlife supervisor for the DNR , who has more than a decade of experience seeding wild rice for the agency, explained how to identify “green” rice during a DNR-hosted webinar in 2022.
“Harvest of green, unripe rice, is unlawful,” said Snavely, during the presentation. “Green rice is defined as any wild rice that contains more than 15% of the grain still in the milk. So that’s pretty specific … if it’s really got that milky look to it and it doesn’t look like it’s firmed up into a starch, it’s probably well into that stage where it’s not ready to be harvested yet.”
Early reports from Minnesota DNR and tribal biologists indicate average to great rice stands across central and northern Minnesota, but conditions are variable for individual waters.
Snavely said Minnesota has more natural wild rice than any other state in the U.S. with most of the harvestable water crop located in northern and northeastern Minnesota.
“Minnesota has more natural wild rice than any other state in the nation,” said Snavely. “Approximately 2,100 lakes and rivers in Minnesota have it. It’s most abundant in northeastern Minnesota, especially in Aitkin, Cass, Crow Wing, Itasca and St. Louis Counties.”
The wild rice conditions report is available each year on the Minnesota DNR’s wild rice management webpage, along with license, regulation and safety information.
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