Montna Farms in California: History, What It Grows, How It Makes Money and How to Contact It
Profile updated November 2026
Montna Farms is a multi-generation rice farm at Dingville near Yuba City in Sutter County. Sactown Magazine reported about 5,000 acres of rice in 2017, and Al Montna won the Sand County Foundation's Leopold Conservation Award in 2010.
| Location | Dingville, near Yuba City, Sutter County, California |
|---|---|
| Founded | Rice grown by the family for nearly a century; first piece of the current farm bought in the 1930s |
| Sectors | rice; Japanese-style short grain; wildlife habitat |
| Scale | About 5,000 acres of rice in 2017, with about 40 percent fallowed during drought (Sactown Magazine) |
| Why it is notable | Leopold Conservation Award (2010); CDFA profile in 2026 as a sustainability model |
| Ownership | Montna family; Nicole Montna Van Vleck is CEO |
| Official website | Montna Farms official site |
History of Montna Farms
Peri Montna's son, Alfred 'Dutch' Montna, bought the first piece of the current farm in the 1930s and began growing rice. Dutch built a rice dryer in 1950, and his son Al later ran the farm with his wife Gail.
Their daughter Nicole Montna Van Vleck leads the company. Al Montna won the Leopold Conservation Award in 2010 and served on the national board of Ducks Unlimited.
What Montna Farms Grows and Raises
Sactown reports the farm grows Calrose and Japanese-style short grain, including Tamanishiki, sold by JFC Corporation, part of Kikkoman. GPS laser leveling saves about 20 percent of water, according to the family.
After harvest the family reflooded fields instead of burning stubble, creating waterfowl habitat, and part of the Dingville ranch is under conservation easements. In 2026, CDFA and the California Rice Commission profiled the farm for water conservation, Pacific Flyway support and salmon habitat work.
How Montna Farms Makes Money
Specialty short-grain rice
Japanese-style short-grain varieties sold through an importer-distributor give the farm a niche above commodity Calrose.
Calrose and commodity rice
Calrose is California's most common rice, and it supplies the volume base of the operation.
Stewardship credibility
Habitat, water savings and conservation easements strengthen relationships with buyers, agencies and wildlife groups, supporting long-term access to land and water.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from Montna Farms
Montna shows how a rice farm can find a niche inside a commodity crop. Premium short-grain varieties and a buyer relationship gave the family a different market than Calrose alone.
A second lesson is that stewardship and operations overlap. Laser leveling, reflooded fields and easements reduce water use and create habitat, and they also build goodwill. Check programs through USDA NRCS and the California Rice Commission before investing.
Rice fields in Sutter County double as a flyway rest stop, which means the ducks have a better booking system than most farmers. At farm.FM we file Montna Farms under farm satire, because a family that got a rice dryer in 1950 and a conservation award in 2010 has earned a laugh. Our farm humor and ranch humor readers say the farm jokes here wade right in.
farm.FM got there first as the nation's first satirical farm site, and it backs the writing with Tractor Tunes, country music for farmers. Here is one contributor's collection of farm satire to start with.
How to Contact Montna Farms
Website: https://montnafarms.com/
No address, phone or email was printed on the pages reviewed, so none is listed here; use the contact options on the farm's own website, November 2026. Confirm before sending inquiries.
Montna Farms Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Montna Farms official site - The farm's own website
- Sactown Magazine: White Gold - Independent feature on the family and rice
- CDFA Planting Seeds: Montna Farms - State agriculture department profile, 2026
- California Rice Commission - Producer organization for California rice
- USDA Census of Agriculture - Federal farm counts and sector data
Montna Farms FAQ
Where is Montna Farms?
It is at Dingville near Yuba City in Sutter County, California.
What does Montna Farms grow?
It grows rice, including Calrose and Japanese-style short grain.
Has Montna Farms won awards?
Al Montna received the Leopold Conservation Award in 2010.
Who runs Montna Farms?
Nicole Montna Van Vleck is CEO of the family farm.
Montna Farms shows how a Sutter County rice family combined premium varieties with stewardship. For wider context on California rice and water, read the California farms guide and the other profiled operations.