Wildfires have burned millions of acres in Northern and Southern California, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. During the California wildfire season, the fires destroy crops and continue to host a threat to livestock and barns throughout the course of the season.
In the wake of wildfires scorching parts of Northern California, affected farmers, farmworkers, and ranchers work to rebuild and restore irrigation systems and take disparate steps to save remaining crops and commodities such as commodity operations. Farmers in the path of the wildfires face costs and great expenses to rebuild or replace damaged equipment and structures. Wildfires have also burned thousands of acres of grazing land, leaving a large number of ranchers with arduous and difficult decisions about managing and raising their farm animals.
The wildfires have a monumental impact on people, farms, crops, and animals. These wildfires are highly destructive and damage soil, crops, and harm livestock. Operations that are directly in line with the fires, if you think about the cattle operations that are losing their pastures right now, potentially losing animals, explained Bruce Blodgett, executive director of the San Joaquin Farm Bureau Federation. He added that those ranchers in the path are just simply seeing their entire feed for the rest of this summer being eliminated.
“If you have fruit that’s ripe, vegetables that need to be picked, whatever the case is, which is going on right now. Winegrapes that need to be picked, they need to be picked at the right time,” said Blodgett.
Significant wildfires create a high-risk environment for agricultural workers and, furthermore, have the potential to have devasting consequences for the food system. In addition, farmers are at a greater risk for exposure with wildfire ash and chemical residue.
The USDA’s Farm Service agency offers a variety of programs and services to help communities, farmers, ranchers, and businesses that have been hit hard by natural disaster events. This program may protect against the loss of their covered crops or livestock due to natural disasters such as: hail, freezes, floods, and in this case, “fire”, insects, disease and wildlife, or may cover the loss of revenue due to a decline in price or other factors for applicable programs.
California Department of Food and Agriculture says insureds must call their crop insurance agent within 72 hours of damage discovery to initiate a claim. The crop insurance company will arrange for a loss adjuster to inspect the crop. For wildfire recovery resources and details, click here.
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