The California Rice Commission wants to make growers aware of conservation program opportunities that are available this Spring and Late Summer of 2025 on idle ricelands. These programs are funded by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. 

Nesting Bird Habitat Incentive Program’s Fallow Agriculture – This program provides an incentive for farmers that are willing to delay the termination of the vegetation in idle agricultural fields until July 15th or later.

• Fields with volunteer vegetation (or another program funded the establishment of the cover crops): $30/acre.
• Fields with established planted cover crops: $110/acre.

California Waterfowl (CWA) is administering this program, so please visit the CWA website here for more details. The application period is open until March 31, 2025.

BirdReturns: Late Summer Farmlands – This program provides an incentive for farmers to create shallow flooded habitats in July, August, or September for migrating shorebirds and other waterbirds that arrive early.

• Payment rates are based on a reverse auction and farmers must submit a bid with their required rate, acres, preferred timing, etc.

The Nature Conservancy is administering this program, so please visit the BirdReturns website here for more details. The application period is open until April 4, 2025.

Note for 2025: Bid4Birds runs a similar program to BirdReturns Late Summer Farmlands and the Bid4Birds application period will be open from May 15 to June 10, 2025. If you know now that you are idling a field and are interested in this practice, you are encouraged to apply for BirdReturns now.

For questions or more clarity, contact Kristin Sesser, Wildlife Programs Manager, at (916) 607-8988 or ksesser@calrice.org.