Ag Alert Aug 25, 2021

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paring to open part time last weekend ahead of Apple Hill’s traditional full-scale opening Labor Dayweekend. “We’ll go ahead and open our doors— because people know that we’re not fully open,” she said. Howevever, she added, “I just don’t see people coming up here (be- cause) the fire is here.” The Caldor Fire was burning well to the southeast of Abel’s property, which is near the Placerville-Camino border. Until Saturday, the fire had stayed south of Highway 50. Abel’s farmwas under an evacuation warning. “Right now, we’re wondering,” she said. In themeantime, “we’re preparing.

We’re filling freezers right now, and making the candy.” Abel said her grandson has been en- couraging her to prepare to leave. But Abel noted that the region’s abundance of orchards and vineyards stands between her and the fire and can act as a firebreak. “That’s not like pine trees with sap in them that can explode,” Abel said. “We do have themaroundus, butnot anything like a forest.” Besides, she added, “If it gets to me, it’s wiped out AppleHill.” A Facebook post fromApple Hill asked would-be visitors to hold off on traveling over theweekendtokeepHighway50clear for first responders and evacuees. As of Monday, Highway 50 was closed fromSly Park Road to TwinBridges. Only local res- idents with proof of address were allowed on thehighwaybetweenTwinBridgesand Meyers, according toCal Fire. Evacuationwarnings tied to the Caldor Fire extended south into Amador County, where winegrapes account for nearly half of the county’s agricultural production. Jim Spinetta, a winegrape grower and president of the Amador County Farm Bureau, said his property was within the warning area. Spinetta noted that the Amador County Fairgrounds inPlymouth washousing largeandsmall animalsevac- uated from the Caldor Fire area. He said peoplewerestaying inPlymouthandIone. Spinetta’s family has been farming in

Amador County since 1852, andhis grand- fatherservedasafirechiefonMountShasta. Whenthe familymovedto itspresentprop- erty in the 1970s, Spinetta said, generations of fire-safety lessonswereput touse. “We cut down over 2,000 cords of fire- wood,” he said, adding that the family also made “huge firebreaks with large equip- ment. We have used selective logging.” As a result, Spinetta said he wasn’t worred about his ranch. “We don’t have any trees within a quar- ter mile of our structures,” Spinetta said. “Yeah, it hurts to not have the native trees there, but it feelsgoodtoknowthat youcan be on vacation and know that your ranch that’syour livelihoodandthewildlifewith- in it are protected.” Especially since Spinetta considers a blaze inhisneighborhood tobe inevitable. “It’samatterof timebeforeafire’sgoingto comethrough,”Spinettasaid. “Withthelack of timbermanagement,we’regoing tohave thesecatastrophic fires. Theseareman-cre- ated issues, andwe have to haveman-cre- ativesolutionsforour landandforourstate.” Spinetta said he takes his responsibility to the land seriously. “We’re stewards of our land,” Spinetta said. “We takecareof our land.We’vebeen here for four generations.” (Kevin Hecteman i s an ass i stant editor of Ag Alert. He may be contacted at khecteman@cfbf.com.)

Kildow said El Dorado County Sheriff JohnD’Agostini openedhis ranch toevac- ueesandtheiranimals—andforatimehad about 150 people and animals staying on the property. Apple Hill, an agritourism power- house encompassing dozens of apple orchards, vineyards and Christmas-tree farms along a nine-mile stretch north of U.S. Highway 50 east of Placerville, al so found i t sel f deal ing wi th the fire’s effects. Evelyn Abel, whose family runs Abel’s Apple Acres in Placerville at the western end of Apple Hill, said her farmwas pre-

Agricultural Market Review

Quotations are the latest available for the week ending August 20, 2021 Year Ago Week Ago Latest Week Livestock Slaughter Steers – 5-Area Average Select & Choice, 1050–1150 lbs., $ per cwt. 104 121 121 Hogs – Average hog, 51-52% lean, Iowa-Minn. market, $ per cwt. 54.57 107.33 106.13 Slaughter Lambs – $ per cwt. 125–175 lbs. National weekly live sales No Quote 215-280 215-273.50 Field crops – basis prompt shipment Barley – U.S. No. 2, $ per cwt. Truck, Stockton-Modesto-Oakdale-Turlock No Quote No Quote No Quote Cotton – ¢ per lb., Middling 1 3/32” Fresno spot market 65.48 83.37 82.97 Corn – U.S. No. 2 yellow $ per cwt. trucked 7.60 8.18 8.06 Alfalfa Hay – $ per ton, quality*, FOB Region 1, Northern Inter-mountain 195-210 (P/S) 210 (G) 230-315 (S) Region 2, Sacramento Valley 190-220 (F/G/P) 185 (forage mix, 3-way) No Quote Region 3, Northern San Joaquin Valley No Quote 250-265 (G) 250-305 (P/S) Region 4, Central San Joaquin Valley 160-172 (F/G) 235 (S) 295-305 (P) Region 5, Southern California 255 (F/G/P) 222-240 (G) No Quote Region 6, Southeast Interior 175-190 (P) 200-225 (G) 200-230 (P) Oat Hay – $ per ton, quality*, FOB Northern California, dairy No Quote No Quote No Quote Oats – U.S. No. 2 white, $ per cwt. Statewide, trucked price No Quote No Quote No Quote

Visit FarmTeam’s Recall Election Voter Guide The deadline to vote in the California Gubernatorial Recall Election is September 14th, 2021.

Dry Beans – Grower FOB prices Baby Limas, $ per cwt, (sacked) Large Limas, $ per cwt. (sacked) Blackeye, $ per cwt. (sacked)

No Quote No Quote No Quote

Rice – Milled No. 1 Head, FOB No. Calif. mills Medium grain, $ per cwt. Wheat – U.S. No. 2 or better, winter, $ per cwt. 13% protein, Los Angeles, trucked price

38-41

42-44

No Quote No Quote Provided by the California Farm Bureau as a service to Farm Bureau members. Information supplied by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Market News Branch. * ADF=Acid detergent fiber; (S) = Supreme/<27%ADF; (P) = Premium/27-29; (G) = Good/29-32; (F) = Fair/32-35. 13.25

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14 Ag Alert August 25, 2021