Ventura farmers left reeling after series of destructive storms drench Southland
After a series of powerful winter storms drenched the Southland over recent weeks, Ventura County farmers are left reeling from the damage left behind.
With more than 100,000 acres of irrigated lands and over 2,000 farming and ranching operations, Ventura County agriculture is a vital part of the nation's food supply chain. Now, those farmers are left with flooded fields, ruined fruit and tons of broken citrus trees.
Naturally, growers want the rain as it feeds their crops with all the necessary nutrients, but like the idiom goes — too much of a good thing is a bad thing.
Hayden McIntyre is one of many farmers hoping to rebound from the damage, with dozens of damage lemon trees from the onslaught of mud and boulders came crashing down in Fillmore on January 9th.
"Seventeen inches of rain in 24 hours," he recalled. "It's devastating."
McIntyre's family owns Sierra Pacific Farms, which harvests nearly 3,000 acres of avocado and citrus.
They're concerned because on top of being unable to harvest their product, the mud presents serious danger to the livelihood of the trees.
"That's going to start drowning out the roots and bring in crown rot," said Edwin Horton, who also works at Sierra Pacific Farms.
The strawberry crops were also hit particularly hard, with soggy fields of strawberries left to rot after being buried in layers of mud.
"Likely, everyone suffered some damage," said Maureen McGuire, the CEO of the Farm Bureau of Ventura County. "I would not be surprised if it was millions of dollars."
She says that Ventura County growers normally produce billions of servings worth of fruit and vegetables for the United States, and for that product that did survive and makes it to the market — costs are likely to rise for consumers.
