CA Farm Bureau Fires

CA Farm Bureau Fires

Maura Bennett
Maura Bennett

It will be some time before the complete picture unfolds of the toll of the wildfires on California’s agricultural producers.

Dave Kranz with the California Farm Bureau says some farmers and ranchers have an idea about the damage but many have not been allowed back home to see for themselves.

Kranz: “So it may be a while for them to get back in and the county agricultural commissioners to do their assessments. We know there has been some winery damage. We know there are some vineyards in the path of the fire. Sometimes those vineyards can actually act as fire breaks. So we’re hopeful that that will be the case this time. We’ve seen estimates that somewhere between 10 and 20 percent of the wine grapes in the region were still on the vines when the fires came through so we don’t know what their status may be. All of these things will become more apparent as the crews get control of the fire and people are able to get back in and assess the circumstances.”

Kranz says they are aware of a century old cattle ranch that had most of its barns and 7 homes destroyed by the fire. The owners of the Oak Ridge Angus Ranch - La Franchi family and their cattle - were safe.

The Sonoma County Farm Bureau has set up a fund for the family. The Sonoma County Farm Bureau has set up a Kincaid Fire Relief fund to assist as many folks as they can. The California Farm Bureau has another fund set up for fire victims that can be found at the website CFBF.com

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