Wild Rice Processing

Wild rice is one of the most abundant wild food sources in our area. But we don’t have any local wild rice processors, forcing harvesters to bring their rice long distances in order to have their rice processed. This project was started to assess the possibility of building a local wild rice processor in or near Finland, MN

Interested in helping with this project? Click here to let us know.

Project Description: to research and write a business plan/feasibility study for local wild rice processing

Progress Report:
8/11/2021
 by Abby Rohweder

The Finland Wild Rice House Processing Facility is under construction! Utilizing local contractors, Holden Electric and Marvin Morrison, the electrical and cement work are being installed. Roof construction is expected to begin as early as next week. 

Electric Updates are underway!
Marvin Morrison & Crew pour the cement slab for our rice cookers.

We are moving right along and plan to be processing rice this harvest season. Be on the look-out for Grand Opening festivities soon! Though it, too, is still under construction please visit our new website at www.finlandwildrice.com





Our Mentorship program for this first ricing season will be focused in our Northeastern Minnesota region with plans of expanding to Central Minnesota next year! We are beyond excited for this portion of the project to take off and thankful to our team and volunteers for making it happen!

We are excited to be kicking off our education module portion of the project with a Zoominar featuring the amazing Dr. Emily Onello, from the University of Minnesota Duluth Department of Family Medicine and Behavioral Health! This Zoominar will be on August 27th at 5:30 PM CST. For more information, see below or visit the events page of the Finland Wild Rice House website at finlandwildrice.com

Our Mentorship program for this first ricing season will be focused in our Northeastern Minnesota region with plans of expanding to Central Minnesota next year! We are beyond excited for this portion of the project to take off and thankful to our team and volunteers for making it happen!

We are excited to be kicking off our education module portion of the project with a Zoominar featuring the amazing Dr. Emily Onello, from the University of Minnesota Duluth Department of Family Medicine and Behavioral Health! This Zoominar will be on August 27th at 5:30 PM CST. For more information, see below or visit the events page of the Finland Wild Rice House website at finlandwildrice.com

Stay tuned for more information about processing costs and hours, a grand opening event, education module programs and more!


Project Updates:
3/4/21Laurie Kallinen
Wild Rice Processing Comes to ‘Downtown’ Finland!
Much has happened since our last update. During the autumn of 2020, Finland resident, Blake Hawbaker completed the wild rice processor apprenticeship training, learning the ropes from two separate processors. In addition, the Finland Food Chain was able to purchase a full set of wild rice processing equipment from retiring processors, Joel and Gail Hilgendorf. A location to store the equipment was found at the former Finland school, followed by an agreement to permanently house and use the equipment and steps were taken to seek funding to prepare the site.

The Finland Food Chain is excited to announce that the Finland Wild Rice Facility project was selected as one of the three regional food projects to gain access to funding, and now moves on to present directly to the IRRRB (Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board) for additional funding. Over the past month, we have been working through the Northland Food Network‘s NE Minnesota Food & Farm Initiative to seek funding for building-out a community wild rice processing facility. Of 17 original proposals, the Finland Wild Rice Project was one of seven to move into a direct community voting process last week on February 19th. From that vote, the Finland Wild Rice Facility Project came into the top three. While not fully funded yet, we are one step closer! We had an amazing turn-out of local and regional community members, and we thank you sincerely for your participation in the process.

Project Updates:


3/4/21Laurie Kallinen
Wild Rice Processing Comes to ‘Downtown’ Finland!
Much has happened since our last update. During the autumn of 2020, Finland resident, Blake Hawbaker completed the wild rice processor apprenticeship training, learning the ropes from two separate processors. In addition, the Finland Food Chain was able to purchase a full set of wild rice processing equipment from retiring processors, Joel and Gail Hilgendorf. A location to store the equipment was found at the former Finland school, followed by an agreement to permanently house and use the equipment and steps were taken to seek funding to prepare the site.

The Finland Food Chain is excited to announce that the Finland Wild Rice Facility project was selected as one of the three regional food projects to gain access to funding, and now moves on to present directly to the IRRRB (Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board) for additional funding. Over the past month, we have been working through the Northland Food Network‘s NE Minnesota Food & Farm Initiative to seek funding for building-out a community wild rice processing facility. Of 17 original proposals, the Finland Wild Rice Project was one of seven to move into a direct community voting process last week on February 19th. From that vote, the Finland Wild Rice Facility Project came into the top three. While not fully funded yet, we are one step closer! We had an amazing turn-out of local and regional community members, and we thank you sincerely for your participation in the process.

WATCH THE PRESENTATION HERE
READ THE FULL GRANT PROPOSAL HERE

9/30/2019 – Marc Smith:
After researching wild rice processing facilities in the Northland that process in smaller batches (500 # or less), I found a man named Steven Merhar near Grand Rapids who runs a small scale processing plant on his property. He was kind enough to give me a tour and answer some questions.

Steven has been a wild ricer all his life and learned the art of processing wild rice from his father, Jim. Jim still processes wild rice, upwards of 50,000 pounds, primarily for the reservation. Steven processes far less rice. His record season was 18,000 pounds and averages around 8000 pounds per season.

With the exception of the rice grader that separates the grains into different sizes, most of Steven’s equipment is home made. He recently paid $7,500 for that grader. He parches with a wood fire using a metal drum he fabricated that holds up to 400 pounds of green rice. The rice is parched to around 245 degrees reducing the moisture of the rice down to 7 -10 % . The second step is the thresher or friction huller. This machine rubs the hull off the grain with padded paddles. I was hoping to see what Steven used for paddles but he said that was his secret. He was excited to show me the next piece of equipment in the processing procedure, his fanning mill. He had just made this machine a few months ago after dealing with many years of the dried shafts blowing back into his pole barn. His invention lifts the rice to a blower that shoots the separated hulls through a PVC tube to a collection box a good 50 feet from his pole barn. The heavier rice falls to the bottom in a collection vat. Finally the rice is moved to the grading machine that separates it into grades based on size.

The whole process takes 6 to 7 hours and Steven has to pay close attention especially during the parching process. He told me earlier this season the motor went out on the parcher tumbler and he had to quickly remove all the rice before it burned.

It was great to have the opportunity to tour a smaller wild rice processing facility with an eye out for what we could do in our area.

8/16/2019- Marc Smith:
I have just begun the process to research the number of wild ricers in the Arrowhead region and to access the need for a wild rice processing facility in our area.  I connected with Melissa Thompson, Wildlife Lake Specialist/Shallow Lakes Program, and she has helped me with connections with the DNR, 1854 Authority and the U of M.  Melissa also happens to be a wild ricer. I started to look into possible grant sources for the equipment.  Possible options include Minnesota Sea Grant and Minnesota Department of Agriculture.