Obit: Eldon Lundberg, Organic Rice Pioneer

Eldon Albert Lundberg, the eldest of four brothers who built Lundberg Family Farms into the nation’s leading producer of organic rice and related products, died Saturday, June 26, in Richvale, California, where he lived. He was 82.

A native of Phelps County, Nebraska, Lundberg's parents moved west when he was a boy, settling in the small rice-farming town of Richvale in the Sacramento Valley. Raised on the farm founded by his parents, Lundberg began farming with his father Albert in 1948, while studying Civil Engineering at Chico State College.

In 1969, the four Lundberg brothers - Eldon, Wendell, Harlan, and Homer - built their rice milling operations, which launched the Lundberg Family Farms brand of rice products.

While organic rice already was available, mostly from small farming operations, the Lundbergs brought a higher degree of commercialization to the business, gaining shelf space in major supermarkets.

Eldon Lundberg served as president of the family business as the company established direct links with consumers over the next 25 years. During his tenure as president, Lundberg Family Farms grew into the nation’s top producer of organic and eco-farmed rice and rice products. In 1997, Eldon’s son, Grant, became CEO, and in 1999, Lundberg retired from day-to-day management.


He served on the board of directors of the Butte County Rice Growers Association and was a longtime member of the U.S. Rice Council.