Lundberg Family Farms, a regenerative organic certified brand known for its California-grown rice and rice-based products, has committed to accelerating R&D of rice varieties that are compatible with climate-friendly regenerative organic farming practices.

Following 12 years in development, Lundberg’s new Black Pearl Rice was unveiled this week.

It 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, and is part of the company’s specialty organic rice breeding program.

The unveiling of the new rice variety comes as Lundberg Family Farms celebrates the 50th anniversary of Lundberg’s proprietary nursery program, the only specialty organic rice breeding program of its kind in the US. 

Developing rice varieties resilient to climate change 

Currently, only 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, selecs, and develops rice varieties for compatibility with regenerative organic farming practices. These include drowning and drying up weeds instead of dousing their fields with chemicals. 

Researchers at UC Davis, US, recently indicated that the “dry up” method of organic weed management can help reduce global warming potential by 49%. 

“In the 1970s, my dad started our nursery program in an effort to bring diverse rice varieties to American consumers,” says 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 depends on it.”

Lundberg’s strategy is to develop better rice varieties with boosted appearance, aroma, flavor, footprint, and fit for growing in Northern California’s climate. 

Over the past decade, Lundberg has trialed more than 80,000 unique breeding lines, and in its 50-year history, Lundberg has successfully commercialized approximately 12.

Now, Lundberg is increasing that pace with three new varieties: Black Pearl, Red Jasmine, and Arborio Rice. 

“The Lundbergs have always been obsessed with rice, from going organic before it was cool to creating a market for brown rice,” says 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.” 

Next week, the company will showcase new products made with Regenerative Organic Certified rice, including the new Black Pearl variety, at the Natural Products Expo in Anaheim, California.