Francis Hickel

Francis Hickel was born and raised in Colusa, California. He attended Cal Poly at San Luis Obispo, and then returned to Colusa to pursue a career in the rice farming industry. Francis has been involved with the rice industry for the past twenty years. He is a partner in Hickel & Hickel and Costa & Hickel, as a grower in a custom harvest operation. He also manages rice ground and oversees the rice operation for Ottenwalter Farms, for a combined acreage total just over seven thousand acres. Francis served on the Rice Straw Utilization Committee through UC Davis in collaboration with end users to find alternative solution and uses of straw. He currently serves as a board member for the California Rice Research Board and was recently elected to serve a three year term on the California Rice Commission.