This year already, Farmers, workers, and businesses have had the odd experience of having to deal with both drought and flooding at the same time. And this may mean we should expect even higher prices at the grocery store to be added to the already increasing inflation we can’t seem to stop.
Some areas, specifically Tulare, encountered some of the worst flooding and wash out. And if you were hoping it would at least help our ground water situation, well you may want to think again. With ground water as depleted as it has been, a large reason for flooding was due to the recession of land depth – because of the drought. Which means much of that water has to be pushed out. The water simply will not sink into the ground.
It was a nightmare situation for many, with Cal Matters reporting that 15 dairies alone had to scramble to move more than 75,000 cows and heifers into safer areas.
The floods have affected thousands of farmers in the central area, and the damage is still being assessed. Considering the loss of homes, crops, and other property, one industry official is estimating billions of dollars in expected losses, possibly for the state dairy industry alone – which would be a massive loss, considering the state dairy industry has a yearly revenue value of just around $7.5 billion.
Governor Newsom’s office originally estimated $60 million in agricultural losses in Tulare County and $70 million in Kern Counties alone.
This doesn’t begin to understand the full truth;
however, tens of thousands of farmworkers have lost wage and work. And hundreds of small farm support businesses are still trying to play catch up. Not did farmers lose money, but so did all the people whose jobs depend on those farms.
And it may have put farm planning behind more than a month or so. Look at bees for example – we need them to pollinate, but they didn’t get to work until a bit late this year because of the rains early. Many crops have a 60 to 90 rotation to maturity, but what happens to the farm when that crop is now put a month behind schedule? As one farmer stated, ““We are going to have a rollercoaster ride when it comes to supplies and price of produce and this is going…all the way into fall.”
State officials said they are working still on bolstering infrastructure – fixing canals, levees, and roads. A classic example of “too little to late” perhaps, especially considering farmers have voiced nearly the same concerns to the state for decades.
However, Tricis Blattler, director of the Tulare County Farm Bureau, stated, “It’s a very important reminder that California is not well-equipped to handle these extreme wet-weather events. The message that we would like our California Legislature to hear is it’s never too soon to make better investments in infrastructure.”
It may still be a few months before we realize the full effect the flooding had on the economy. But one thing is for sure, we need better infrastructure and planning. These events, with current inflation, may have been the “perfect storm” in taking out more business and people from the state than we know.
