We are planning to harvest our rice in one week.
But now, a typhoon is approaching the Kanto region.
It is late September. This kind of weather happens almost every year, but we still have to deal with it.
I am getting more worried about what will happen.
How Do We Know When Koshihikari Is Ready?
Here, I would like to take a moment to explain how we decide when Koshihikari rice is ready to harvest in the Hokumo area of Gunma.
We do not decide the harvest date from just one number.
We look at several signs together.
First, we look at the color of the rice grains.
As the rice ripens, more grains turn yellow. A small number of green grains may still remain.
Second, we check the moisture level of the rice grains.
As a general guide, harvesting can begin when the grain moisture is around 25% or lower.
Third, we look at the whole field.
We do not judge the harvest time from just a few rice plants. We check how much of the whole field has ripened.
Waiting until every grain turns completely brown can mean harvesting too late.
Late harvesting can increase cracked grains and may reduce the quality and taste of the rice.
In practice, farmers look at several things together, including the color of the grains, the number of days after heading, the accumulated temperature, and the moisture level.
In Gunma, agricultural advisers also check the green-grain ratio and moisture in the fields when deciding the best time to harvest.
Before harvest, we also drain the water from the field and let the ground become firm enough for the combine harvester.
But this also needs to be done at the right time. Rice still needs water while the grains are developing, so we have to consider the weather and the condition of each field.
In the Hokumo area, autumn mornings and evenings can be quite cold, and morning dew often remains on the rice plants.
The rice grains also tend to have more moisture in the morning.
So we usually wait until the dew has dried before starting work.
On a sunny day, late morning to afternoon is often a good time for harvesting.
Even so, we cannot simply say, “We will harvest on this exact day.”
Each field grows a little differently, and the weather can change our plans.
And this year, just one week before our planned harvest, a typhoon is approaching.
Will everything go as planned?
Or will we have to change our schedule again?
In the end, we have to watch both the rice and the sky, and make the final decision.
Once again, we are having a conversation with nature.