Governor adds San Diego County to farm aid list
By: PATRICK WRIGHT - Staff Writer | ∞
San Diego and Riverside counties were added Friday to a list of counties eligible for federal assistance to farmers whose crops were damaged by the recent cold weather.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger added six counties, including San Diego County and Riverside County, to a State of Emergency Proclamation already covering 10 counties.
The proclamation allows local growers and nurseries to apply for federal loans to cover agricultural losses not covered by other means, such as farmer's insurance.
Robert Atkins, San Diego County's agricultural commissioner, said several agricultural officials thought the county should have been added to the first State of Emergency Proclamation. He said he was glad that it finally happened.
"It's certainly going to be a boon to our growers that have suffered damage," he said.
Nighttime temperatures that dropped as low as 16 degrees damaged avocados groves, cut flowers fields and other agricultural acreage. Agricultural officials estimated that the county lost about $100 million in fruit and flowers already, but accurate figures won't be available for days and possibly weeks. San Diego County's agriculture contributed $1.5 billion to the local economy in 2005.
Growers and nurseries should get some relief over the weekend as cloud cover is expected to help keep temperatures above freezing at night. Cloud cover at night helps contain daytime heat absorbed in the ground.
The new emergency proclamation adds Imperial, San Bernardino, San Diego, Santa Clara, Riverside and Yuba counties to the 10 counties in Central California already listed. The governor's action means that growers can apply for low-interest loans and other financial aid to help them stay in business.
Commissioner Atkins pointed out that the assistance would be loans and not handouts to local growers. Although it is a state proclamation, he said, the aid would be handled through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Farm Service Agency.
Ed Shoemaker, 65, said he lost all 20 acres of his flower crop because of the cold temperatures, but said he wasn't interested in government assistance. He said that he would rather take the loss on his income taxes and try to make it without taking out a loan.
"I might apply if I was starving," he said. "It won't be comfortable, but I'll make it."
More help could be on the way. The proclamation is the first step toward a possible federal disaster declaration for San Diego County. That action would allow access to more federal resources and Federal Emergency Management Agency services.
Growers and nurseries interested in applying for assistance should contact the San Diego County Farm Bureau at (760) 745-3023 or the San Diego County Department of Agriculture, Weights and Measures at (858) 694-2739.
Contact staff writer Patrick Wright at (760) 739-6675 or pwright@nctimes.com.
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Skip wrote on Jan 20, 2007 11:02 AM:HELLO ! IS THERE ANYONE OUT THERE! There is a reason why crops were damaged by the recent cold weather. It is called "WINTER"!
This is the third year. wrote on Jan 20, 2007 2:12 PM:Hello, please be kind. The growers are the backbones of the country. There are several type of produces that are grown here in California. We are breaking our back to feed you, the money that we makes hardly sustain the cost of running the business. When we have any problems, we are the ones that are sqeeze in the middle. The packing house will pay us less because they claim that the produces are damaged but they will charge more to the supermarket (and the consumers) for the produces. In the past three years we had diseases, pests and other calamities. We never receive any subsidy or help from the Federal or State government. It is about time we are getting some helps. If it is keeping up in this way, pretty you will see houses on the hills and in the fields instead of groves and farms. May be you would like that.
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