USA - Smoke, ash from River Fire raises questions about produce, farmworker safety

28.08.2020 162 views
The River Fire, now one of the largest in California, is chewing through chaparral and trees on the south side of River Road. On the north side, within shouting distance of the conflagration, grows millions of dollars worth of produce that growers and farmworkers alike hope will feed people across the nation. Ag industry experts say they hope the impact to consumers will be minimal, with little disruption to the supply chain than has already taken place this year under the pandemic. Right now, they are preoccupied with keeping the farmworkers who pick that produce safe from smoke, heat and fire. “It’s quite the perfect storm for us in many regards,” Monterey County Agricultural Commissioner Henry Gonzales said. “If the pandemic wasn’t enough that we’d been dealing with, here we have this heat wave, these fires, and now the smoke. “You gotta harvest the day you gotta harvest, and early in the day. Otherwise, if you miss that point, your crop will be a loss,” Gonzales said. If farmworkers can’t go out because it’s too dangerous to their health; if the fire is too close, the heat too high or the smoke too thick, that could mean shortages or scarcities of certain foods, and price increases. “We have to wait and see how big of a problem this is,” Gonzales said. What fruits or vegetables are impacted by wildfires? Wine grapes and strawberry growers could see a loss because of smoke and the layer of ash that’s raining down onto the berries, Gonzales said. “Dealing with heat is not something new but the smoke is,” he added. “For instance, there’s the concern that the smoke could taint the wine grapes and cause those to be lost. That was the experience up in Napa County from the fires last year. “The other,” Gonzales said, “is ash. With some crops, if there’s ash on the crop, it’ll be a loss. You can’t harvest some crops that have ash. Strawberries are the tough one because what do you do? You can’t wash them.” “You gotta harvest the day you gotta harvest, and early in the day. Otherwise, if you miss that point, your crop will be a loss,” Henry Gonzales, Monterey county agricultural commissioner. Carolyn O’Donnell, California Strawberry Commission communications director, said strawberry growers were already facing challenges from the recent heatwave. “Now, we’re adding the smoke and ash on top of that,” she said. Strawberries typically are priced to attract customers into grocery stores because customers usually buy multiple items if they’re purchasing strawberries, such as yogurt, granola, ice or whipped cream, O’Donnell said. “Generally, the price is pretty sensitive to the supply. But, a lot of times the price you see in the supermarket is not necessarily connected to that supply,” she added. However, a decrease in strawberry production owed to the surge in fires could push price points out of reach for some customers, she said. “It may cause a temporary disruption in the market,” O’Donnell said. “The thing to keep in mind is that strawberries are continuously blooming and producing fruit, so as long as the plants are undamaged, we can expect to see the disruption be only temporary.” Is my food safe to eat? Most foods packaged in-field, such as leaf lettuce would have the smoky or ashy outer leaves trimmed away, said Grower-Shipper Association of Central California President Chris Valadez. According to a 2018 preliminary UC Cooperative Extension Sonoma study, smoke from 2017 fires had little impact on local Sonoma County produce. Based on preliminary findings, “…produce safety was not significantly affected by the fires and may be mitigated by washing produce.” In short, yes, food that is grown or harvested near a wildfire should be safe to eat if appropriately washed. “Produce safety was not significantly affected by the fires and may be mitigated by washing produce.” Valadez said he has received reports that lettuces or other foods heading to processors, such as heads of romaine lettuce that will get chopped up and bagged for a salad kit, are using more water to wash them. However, even if there is some residue left on them, consumers should be all right. Wildfire smoke or ash doesn’t appear to cause acute health problems in produce consumers as it is predominantly natural material, said the Strawberry Commission’s O’Donnell. Risk to farmworkers Farmworkers, without whom there would be no produce on the shelves of the grocery stores, are facing these risky conditions in the fields of the Salinas Valley. Once the level of particulate matter 2.5 in the air reaches a certain point, Cal/OSHA regulations suggest sending workers home so they don’t damage their lungs or get sick. Some growers have already begun planning for shortened work hours, Valadez said, even if that means taking a loss when it comes to produce. “They want to reduce the amount of exposure to wildfire smoke,” Valadez said. “If they have the ability to move a crew to a different, safer location, I know some are looking to reduce exposure but still getting in as much work as possible.” That might mean not harvesting that day, or getting a few hours in the morning, or even changing up where they plan on harvesting, depending on where the smoke is hitting, Valadez said. Some anticipate not picking tomorrow, he added. The Monterey County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office announced it would give farmworkers N-95 masks to protect them from inhaling smoke or ash as they worked shortly after the River Fire began blazing in the mountains south of Salinas. According to the 2018 Salinas and Pajaro Valleys Farmworker Housing Study, at least 93,000 farmworkers live and work in the area. Each of them likely would go through one N-95 mask a day, Gonzales said, though depending on the duration and intensity of use, they might be able to re-use their mask. Congressman Jimmy Panetta (D-Carmel Valley) has also drafted a letter to Vice President Mike Pence, co-signed by Congressman Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale), requesting more N-95 masks be sent to California, earmarked for farmworkers harvesting produce that will feed the nation. Since Monday, the county agricultural office has given away at least 90,000 masks –– it gave away 10,000 in just the first day –– and has another 100,000 arriving Friday afternoon, Gonzales said. “We’ve had cars and trucks at our office and the phone ringing off the hook,” Gonzales said. “We’re in peak harvest season. It’s not safe for farmworkers, on top of everything else…at least they have some level of protection from the smoke with those N-95s.” Source - https://calmatters.org
28.03.2024

Canada - How Sask.'s new budget does and doesn't address climate change

The world is facing record heat from human-caused climate change brought on by carbon dioxide and methane emissions, but the words "climate change" don't appear once in Saskatchewan's newly released 75-page 2024-25 budget.

28.03.2024

Kenya - How crop insurance is transforming agriculture

Kenyan farmers continue to face challenges due to unpredictable weather conditions. As a result, they are turning to insurance coverage for their crops and livestock. Insurance experts have reported that most farmers who are insuring their crops are smallholders who rely on rain-fed agriculture and use low-technology farming methods.

28.03.2024

USA - How spring temperature fluctuations, early blooms are impacting Centre County fruit farmers

Plenty of people in Centre County got outside to enjoy temperatures in the 60s and 70s earlier this month, but spring weather fluctuations continue to cause concern for local fruit farmers.

28.03.2024

USA - Farmers use helicopters to warm crops amid spring freezes

An early spring this year means more work for farmers as early blooms face freezing temperatures. Les Dozier's Sta-N-Step Farms has served Northwest Arkansas since 1989. His farm is one of many facing freezing temperatures that could ruin crops.

28.03.2024

Ireland - Potato will be scarce by June, farmers praying for rain to stop

Farmers have to "watch, hope and pray" for a "sweet spot" of dry weather in the coming weeks or many will have to debate whether to plant at all this year. As continuous rainfall adds to already saturated ground, many big and small potato farmers are warning that the Irish favourite variety of Rooster may be in scarce supply by June.

28.03.2024

USA - Several metro Atlanta counties declared natural disaster zones after severe drought

More than 30 Georgia counties — including 10 in metro Atlanta — have been designated “primary natural disaster areas” by the United States Department of Agriculture, the agency announced Thursday.

27.03.2024

Turkey - Climate change may affect grape cultivation

A recent study has highlighted the impact of the climate crisis on viticulture in Turkey, predicting that the expected rise in temperatures and reduced rainfall could shift the suitability of vineyard regions for grape production over the next three decades.

27.03.2024

Crop crisis reveals El Niño’s toll on Southern Africa

New findings from the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (Enso) reference group highlight the significant impact of the 2023/24 El Niño event on various aspects of climate and agriculture in Southern Africa.

istanbul escort şişli escort tbilisi escort şişli escort şişli escort maslak escort istanbul escort beşiktaş escort taksim escort izmir escort ümraniye escort mecidiyeköy escort şişli escort taksim escort ümraniye escort kartal escort şirinevler escort maltepe escort istanbul escort ümraniye escort kadıköy escort vip escort mersin escort istanbul escorts ataköy escort avcılar escort beylikdüzü escort okmeydanı escort şişli escort tuzla escort işitme cihazı sex shop sex shop sex shop sex shop sex shop sex shop sex shop sex shop