A message from Concerned Ricers in Grand Portage:

As of August 27, rice is still milky and not ready to be harvested in Cook County and the traditional territory of the Grand Portage Band. The Band advises tribal and state ricers to respect the rice beds and not harvest until it's ripe in our area. While we may see posts on social media of our relatives in elsewhere in Minnesota and Wisconsin harvesting, rice on the North Shore is typically a week or more behind. Most years, rice is still ripening in mid-September or even late September. If you are out ricing and the rice is still milky please stop ricing and give the bed more time to mature.