Farmers Celebrate Post-Wildfire Achievements With USDA In San Diego County

Southern California farmers affected by last year’s wildfires joined conservationists from NRCS and Mission RCD on March 7, 2008, in Fallbrook to celebrate the completion of more than $4 million in conservation contracts to 150 producers in San Diego County.

State Conservationist Ed Burton and other area agricultural leaders met at Kendall Farms, a grower of fresh flowers and greens and a site the group visited on a post-fire tour last November. Kendall Farms signed an Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) contract to establish water-efficient irrigation systems and apply mulch, along with other practices, to prevent erosion and protect water quality. Kendall Farms and other farmers also worked with Farm Service Agency on recovery efforts.

Kendall Farms President Jason Kendall said the family is excited to get back to farming. "We’re grateful for the help we’ve gotten from the USDA to get the farm back up and running," he said. "They have really bent over backwards to get this done as quickly as possible."

Burton said EQIP is not a disaster program, but a conservation program that helps farmers protect their land. "After the fires, the natural resources of San Diego farms certainly needed protecting," he said. "The scorched earth and steep hillsides required immediate attention to lessen the danger that soil would erode into creeks, compromising both the cropland and the water resources."

A reception for EQIP participants was held at the Mission RCD to celebrate the hard work that resulted in finished contracts. Burton acknowledged San Diego County District Conservationist Cori Calvert-Butler, Assistant State Conservationist for Field Operations David Heilig, County Executive Director Rosalinda Singh of the Farm Service Agency and their staffs for their hard work and dedication to local producers. Local goat farmer and EQIP participant Kira Ezis told the group her emotional story of searching for help after the wildfires to repair the natural resources on her land.

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