Calif. farmer creating identity for his rice

OLIVEHURST, Calif. (AP) - A California farmer is trying to change rice from an anonymous, bulk product into something with an identity.

Farmer Michael Bosworth is selling his family's organic rice directly to restaurants and retailers, skipping the middle man and connecting consumers to the source of their food.

He's among the first in the country to take such an approach.

Among his supporters are chef Billy Ngo, of Kru restaurant in Sacramento, and the University of California at Davis. Both like rice they can trace from farm to the dinner plate.

Most sushi rice used in the United States is grown in the Sacramento River valley, where the weather is ideal for the varieties preferred by chefs.