Cofrin Center for Biodiversity

ArcGIS files
Botany
Historic accounts
Links/more information
- Harvesting
- Commercial Growing and Genetic Modification
- Nutrition
- Research

Useful Links and Other Information

by UWGB graduate student Juniper Sundance

Harvesting

Wisconsin requires a license for harvesting wild rice. In addition, some lakes have regulated season (limited dates and/or times). For more information, contact your local WI DNR office or http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/wildlife/wildriceharvest.htm

The Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission also publishes opening dates for regulated lakes, and takes aerial surveys of some of the rice lakes pre-season as an aid in estimating how abundant the rice beds are in a particular year. http://www.glifwc.org/

Information on harvest regulations in Minnesota can be found at http://www.1854treatyauthority.org/page8.html

Milwaukee Public Museum—Harvest facts From Indian Country http://www.mpm.edu/wirp/ICW-36.html

wild rice field.

Planted wild rice.

Commercial growing/genetic modification

In the 1960’s, commercial farming of wild rice began in paddy fields using varieties bred for shatter resistance and even ripening, among other qualities. This depressed the market price for wild rice, causing economic hardship for the Native Americans who relied on selling hand harvested wild rice for income in a region where the economy was marginal at best. Since “wild rice” is the common name for this grain, commercial growers can sell it as such; there is no implication that the grain was grown in the wild. Currently, California is the largest seller of wild rice worldwide (California 2007, USDA 2007).

For a Native American response to commercial farming and genetic modification of wild rice, see http://www.savewildrice.org/

The USDA genetic database also addresses this issue and has further links, http://www.gramene.org/species/zizania/wildrice_research.html in addition to pages on other aspects of wild rice

Literature Cited

California Wild Rice Advisory Board. http://www.cawildrice.com/ [accessed April 26, 2007
USDA Gramene ver 24. http://www.gramene.org/species/zizania/wildrice_maps_and_stats.html [accessed April 26, 2007]

Nutrition

Wild rice is relatively high in protein (13-14%) and low in fat (<1%) (Anderson 1976). It is a good source of B vitamins.

Full nutrient analysis is available at http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts-B00001-01c21Um.html

Literature Cited

Anderson, RA. 1976. Wild Rice: Nutritional Review. Cereal Chemistry 53:945–955

Research

Annette Drewes, UW Madison, is studying wild rice management and harvest in Minnesota and Wisconsin. http://www.1854authority.org/SummaryWildRiceHarvesters.pdf is her summary of meetings held with harvesters.

A wild rice conference was held in August, 2006. The UW-Extension has a summary on: http://www.uwex.edu/news/2006/11/joining-forces-to-protect-wild-rice-resources

ESRI has resources available for tribal GIS and for GIS in conservation at http://www.conservationgis.org/aatribal.html and, in 2000, published online Native Geography http://www.conservationgis.org/native/native1.html

Dr. Scott Herron is researching wild rice ecosystems in Michigan http://www.ferris.edu/colleges/artsands/faculty_desc.cfm?FSID=42

Dr. Robert Pillsbury has several research projects on wild rice. http://www.uwosh.edu/faculty_staff/pillsbur/research.php

Dr. Jim Meeker has been researching wild rice in northern Wisconsin http://www.northland.edu/Northland/Press/Experts/JimMeeker.htm

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