Ag Alert Aug 11, 2021

Fire Continued from Page 1

withus,whichiswhywehaveanextraordi- narynumberof catastrophic fires,”he said. “We have to significantly beef up our ca- pacity. We have to havemore boots on the ground, and I pledge toyouandcommit to you, that will happen.” Vilsackdiscusseda20-year stewardship agreementbetweenstateandfederal agen- cies thatwill see1millionacres treated, and pledged that the fire-safetyworkwould be done where there is the highest risk to life andproperty. “We need to make sure that when we have catastrophic fires, we’re in a position to begin the restoration and reforestation workthat issovitalandsoimportant topro- tect against further calamity,” Vilsack said. (Kevin Hecteman i s an ass i stant editor of Ag Alert. He may be contacted at khecteman@cfbf.com.)

tograsshoppers and thedrought,” she said. “Some of those ranchers are needing to shift cattle because they are losing forage up there.” Di sas t er programs through the U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency can help livestock pro- ducers facing wildfire losses. For more information, go to www.fsa.usda.gov/ programs-and-ser v i ces/di sas ter- assistance-program/index or contact the local Farm Service Agency office. “The grazing season in some of these areas was shortened by drought, and now it’s been significantly shortened by fire as well,” Schohr said. The Butte County Farm Bureau has set up a Dixie and Fly Fire Agricultural AssistanceFund tohelp feedandmaintain livestock affected by these fires, including inagricultural communitiesofPlumasand Sierra counties. Animals large and small havebeenevacuated to thePlumas-Sierra County Fairgrounds inQuincy and at pri- vate locations in the area. Donations will go toward feed, supplies and health care for animals, and will be distributed through the Butte Agricultural Foundation with the help of the Plumas- Sierra FarmBureau and the Plumas-Sierra Cattlemen’sAssociation.Anyfunds leftover willgotorepairs, replacementorupgrading of livestockfacilities for futureemergencies.

Evacuated animals await their owners at the Nevada County Fairgrounds after being removed from the path of the River Fire, one of several burning last week.

Formore information, call 530-533-1473or email info@buttefarmbureau.com. Meanwhile, U.S. Agriculture Secretary TomVilsacklastweekvisitedthesceneof last year’s August Complex fire alongwithGov. GavinNewsomandotherofficialstodiscuss theneedtoaugment firefighting resources.

“Over thegenerations, over thedecades, we have tried to do this job on the cheap,” Vilsack said. “We tried toget by—a littlebit here, a little bit there.” Vilsack said more forest management and fire-suppressionwork is needed. “The reality is that this has caught up

Industry leader dies in helicopter crash ArenownedNorthernCaliforniaalmond grower, hiswifeand two friendsdiedAug. 1 inahelicoptercrashinruralColusaCounty. Bill Vann, 67, was a partner in Vann FamilyOrchards, oneof the largest almond processors in theNorthState. Alsokilled in the accident was his wife, Susie Vann, 60, and two friends, BobbieLeeKeaton, 62, of Williams andCharles ThomasWilson, 71, of Rocklin. Bill Vann and his brother, Garnett, be- gan farming wheat near their Williams home in1973 andexpanded to rowcrops, almonds, walnuts and pistacios. Today, Vann Family Orchards farms more than 17,000acres intheSacramentoValley, em- ploys 200people and contractswithmore than 100 growers. In a statement, Garnett Vann said, “Bill was a hands-on partner who loved both farming and business. For him, being ac- tively involved in every step of the process made himthe happiest.” TheAlmondBoardofCaliforniaPresident and CEORichardWaycott said “the Vann family is a leader in the California almond business and they have contributedmuch over the years to improving the industry’s stature.Weextendourheartfelt condolenc- es toall Vann familymembers.”

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