Southern California is especially dry, with wildfires continuously posing a serious risk for farmers and ranchers. Avocado growers say that they are still recovering from the widespread fires they faced last fall.
“There are about 50,000 acres of avocados in the state of California, and there are about 4,000 acres of avocados that were within the footprint of the mountain fire burn area, and I know, you know, some of those are orchards that were completely destroyed. Some of them it just blew through very quickly as a flash fire and did varying levels of damage. So, they lost a lot of crop for this season, but the trees may bounce back,” according to Chris Sayer, a fifth-generation farmer.
With such varying degrees of damage on nearly 8% of the state’s acreage, Sayer says that the true test of the condition of the trees will come at harvest this summer.
The USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) has issued final Emergency Livestock Relief Program (ELRP) payments totaling more than $1.89 billion.
February 16, 2026 10:55 AM
Alissa White with American Farmland Trust joined us to provide insight into climate resilience efforts and strategies to help farmers manage weather-related risks.
January 14, 2026 02:20 PM
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Prompt removal of Christmas trees and careful handling of decorations reduce winter fire risk during an already high-demand season for emergency services.
January 09, 2026 08:00 AM
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The New Year is here, but in Oregon, some ranchers and livestock producers are still trying to recover from record wildfires back in 2024.
January 05, 2026 09:46 AM
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December 17, 2025 12:45 PM
Key signs of the U.S. beef herd’s recovery are improved pasture conditions, lower feed costs, and increased regulatory alignment and support for producers to implement targeted grazing practices.
October 07, 2025 12:35 PM
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