supermarket
“THINGS WE LOST IN THE FIRE” REVISITED…CALIFORNIA DISASTER LIKELY TO IMPACT GROCERY PRICING SLIGHTLY
11/09/2007
Under the leadership of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Southern California is unwaveringly striving to inch back to normalcy in the wake of last month’s horrific firestorm with grant monies being allocated toward recovery and yesterday’s optimistic re-opening of trails and campgrounds at several forests, including the Angeles, Los Padres, and San Bernardino national forests. Even so, it is clear that recovery to the smoldering, devastated areas will take months, if not years, with dismal preliminary numbers in this week from Steve Lyle, Director of Public Affairs with the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA).
As the Governor’s office unsurprisingly has been more concerned with the impact of loss of residential homes and businesses in general, differentiation has not yet been made between traditionally farmed and organic crops. SMGN will update its readers whenever such specific information becomes available. However, preliminaries gauging losses within the Grocery Industry in general are significant:
| County | Crop or Livestock Type | Acreage or Livestock Lost | 2006 Loss Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego | Avocados | 1722.4 | $ 24,121,347 |
| Nursery Stock (Outdoor) | 185.0 | 7,258,291 | |
| Cut Flowers | 228.8 | 5,205,571 | |
| Nursery Stock (Indoor) | 5.0 | 2,149,890 | |
| Citrus | 259.7 | 2,098,237 | |
Poultry/Eggs |
1,150,500 | ||
| Fruits/Nuts | 51.0 | 501.433 | |
| Christmas Trees | 8.5 | 92,184 | |
| Rangeland | 390.0 | 2,340 | |
| San Diego Total | 2,893.4 | 42,612,140 | |
| Orange | Avocados | 300.0 | 1,912,644 |
| Nursery Stock | 1.5 | 180,461 | |
| Orange Total | 301.5 | 2,093,105 | |
San Bernardino |
Dairy Cows | 100.0 | 558,000 |
| Hay | N/A | 800,000 | |
San Bernardino Total |
100.0 | 1,388,000 | |
| Riverside | Avocaadoes | 210.0 | 1,355,000 |
| Riverside Total | 210.0 | 1,355,000 | |
| Los Angeles | Goats | 52.0 | |
| Ventura | -- | -- | |
| Santa Barbara | -- | -- | |
| Totals | 3,409.9 | 47,448,245.00 |
Although vineyards, which are generally in the cooler Northern and Central parts of the state appear to have been unscathed, clearly, the most significant losses from the fires appear to be in a couple of the food categories for which California also is prized:
avocadoes and citrus. Closely following is livestock, one hundred dairy cows having been lost in San Bernardino County alone.
With the holiday season close at hand, expect to see patches of diminished supplies and slightly higher prices of beef, oranges, dairy and other “high-end” foods traditionally used for family gatherings and celebrations nationwide.
All of us at SuperMarket Green News (on the opposite/Southeastern end of the North American Continent) wish the affected farmers, grocery shippers and retailers good luck and Godspeed.
Lisa Carvin, Freelance Reporter