During the annual USA Rice Outlook event in New Orleans, California Rice Commission President and CEO Tim Johnson was given the Distinguished Conservation Achievement award.

Leo LeGrande, Chair of the USA Rice Conservation Committee and Williams rice grower, presented the award to Johnson. In his more than 30 years with the California Rice Commission, Johnson has united the voices of rice growers and marketers across the state and also led the industry in improving environmental stewardship on many fronts.

“Under Tim’s guidance, we became known as the Environmental Crop,” said LaGrande.

For decades, Johnson has focused on new and innovative ways that benefit the industry as a whole. From expanding winter flooding programs, to the salmon project and the CRC’s newest initiative: the California Rice Footprint which aims to protect the rice industry by setting a minimum of rice acreage needed to provide vital wildlife habitat.

“Tim’s vision has merged agriculture and environmental stewardship in a remarkable way,” LeGrande said.