DTI Collaborates on a ‘Wild’ New Partnership – Gabriel Dumont Institute

Jan 9, 2023

While many of you have seen wild rice being served in some of the fancier farm-to-table, organic, and specialty restaurants in Saskatchewan, very few of you may have realized what it takes to get wild rice from water to plate.

From the harvesting, processing, and distribution of rice, there are as many players involved in the world of wild rice as you would see in a standard farming operation. Most of the work is taken on by a single boat and operator, similar to a traditional combine harvester you see all over on Saskatchewan family farms.

While these family farm combine harvesters are readily available at any Agriculture dealer in Saskatchewan, the harvesting boats used for Wild Rice have been custom-built by the individual Wild Rice harvesters (some as old as the 1970’s) with little change to their general design over the last 40 years.

The harvesting boats you see in Saskatchewan all have certain similarities but are built and customized for the unique conditions of each area. They are generally 12’-18’ feet long and 5’ wide, flat-bottomed aluminum hull boats, with a 10’ collecting tray and an air-cooled 503 Rotax engine attached to an aircraft propeller (think of a Florida Everglades airboat built for slow and steady operation).

Read More: https://gdins.org/dti-collaborates-on-a-wild-new-partnership/