Wildfire update from the California Farm Bureau Federation

»Posted 3 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2007«

The first official, statewide estimate of agricultural damage from last month’s Southern California wildfires shows that farmers, ranchers and nursery owners suffered nearly $47.5 million in losses.

The California Department of Food and Agriculture made the figures available late yesterday. The total does not include losses attributed to the fierce Santa Ana winds that preceded and accompanied the firestorms. Earlier, Riverside County had estimated $13.7 million in wind damage and Ventura County had said it expects wind-related losses ranging from $10 million to $15 million.

The CDFA estimate of fire losses includes totals from four counties:

• San Diego County: $42.6 million, primarily to avocados, nursery plants and cut flowers. For further detail, see our Wildfire Update of Nov. 8.
• Orange County: $2.1 million in losses, mainly to avocados ($1.9 million) and the rest to nursery stock.
• San Bernardino County: $1.4 million, divided between stored hay ($800,000) and lost production from dairy cows (nearly $600,000).
• Riverside County: Nearly $1.4 million in losses to avocados.

In those four counties, CDFA reports, more than 3,400 acres of agricultural land were damaged by fire, with the cumulative crop losses standing at $47,448,245.

Of that total, almost 60 percent of the losses came among avocados, at nearly $27.4 million. Region-wide losses to nursery plants totaled almost $9.6 million.

The fires also ruined irrigation systems, farm equipment, buildings and supplies not factored into the crop-loss figures.

Farmers, ranchers and nursery owners who suffered losses from the fires have been invited to a town hall meeting on Friday in Escondido. Local, state and federal officials will be present to discuss disaster-assistance programs. The meeting begins at noon Friday at the San Diego County Farm Bureau office.

»Posted 3 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2007«

Here's our latest wildfire coverage, from the Nov. 14 issue of Ag Alert:

Farmers clean up, give thanks after wind and wildfires
The wind and wildfires that raced through San Diego County last month caused more than $42.6 million in crop damage alone, according to the latest estimates from the county agricultural commissioner's office. This figure, however, does not include losses to irrigation systems, supplies, farm equipment or farm structures destroyed or damaged during the wildfires and windstorms that drove the disaster.
Read the full story

Special Report
A firsthand look at Southern California's wildfires.
Read From the Fields

Contact: Dave Kranz
Phone: 916/561-5550
news@cfbf.com

Permission for use is granted, however, credit must be made to the California Farm Bureau Federation when reprinting this item.