Wildfire update from the California Farm Bureau Federation

»Posted 4 p.m., Friday, Nov. 9, 2007«

A rush to repair irrigation systems has been the first priority for many San Diego County farmers working to recover from wildfires. The fires that scorched farms, ranches and nurseries also caused extensive damage to irrigation pipe and equipment, even on farms where crops were spared.

San Diego County Farm Bureau Executive Director Eric Larson says the need to repair irrigation systems is "pretty universal."

"The very first thing that everyone's gone to work on is getting their irrigation systems back in order. Even if they've got trees or plants damaged by the fire, there's going to be no chance of recovery if they don't get water back onto those plants," Larson said.

Many aboveground poly and PVC irrigation systems were damaged beyond repair, he said, as heat from the fires melted pipes.

"So there's been a massive effort to get in and replumb and refit the irrigation systems on these farms," Larson said.

There's also been a rush to rent or borrow equipment. At nurseries, for example, many trucks and tractors were destroyed by fire.

"That creates an additional burden," Larson said. "You want to go in and do some repairs, but your rolling stock that you'd turn to first is gone."

Losses of irrigation equipment, tractors, buildings and other equipment and supplies were not included in the $42.6 million tabulation of agricultural losses issued Thursday by the San Diego County agricultural commissioner.

Larson said the crop-loss figure only portrays a part of the heartache that San Diego County farmers face.

"I have been in the fields and I've walked on these farms that have been hurt and it goes beyond the dollars," he said. "You're talking about real people and real stories. Even though $42 million may not sound like a lot of money in the context of the farm economy, the people who suffered losses, their losses were immense. I've seen farms where they've lost 100 percent of everything they had, so for them it's really catastrophic damage."

On Friday, the California Department of Food and Agriculture announced it will co-host a town hall meeting to discuss disaster-assistance programs available to farmers and ranchers affected by the wildfires. The meeting will be held next Friday, Nov. 16, at the San Diego County Farm Bureau office in Escondido. The meeting will begin at noon and be co-hosted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency.

Representatives from a number of other federal, state and local government agencies have been invited to participate in the meeting.

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

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