Latest news with #cropdamage
ABC News
16 hours ago
- Business
- ABC News
Feral deer plow through $100,000 worth of vegetables at Flowerdale farm
Feral deer have eaten their way through $100,000 worth of produce at a fledgling vegetable-growing business near Melbourne. Over just three nights, the deer ventured from public land onto a nearby farm at Flowerdale, stripping paddocks of valuable crops including cabbages and other vegetables. Michael Collins and Sam Shacklock run the bio-intensive market garden and lost at least 80 per cent of their winter crop to the deer. Mr Collins said it was a huge setback. "We're going to be chasing our tail for the next 12 months at least," he said. The young farmers had recently invested heavily in the crop. "Not only is there the fertiliser bill, the seedling bill, there's the labour to keep it weeded," Mr Collins said. "That section was coming into production in four weeks. "It was going to produce until mid-September, so that's a massive chunk of what we were planning to sell at farmers' markets. "It's only three nights that were unaccounted-for, and the damage [the deer] did in the cabbage was just enormous." According to Victorian government figures, there are more than 1 million feral deer across the state. The vegetable farm borders state government-managed parkland that Mr Collins said was infested with deer. "We are growing what is effectively sugar for deer." Mr Collins believed the government should do more to manage feral deer on public land. "It's just not managed. The deer population is through the roof, and it's not necessarily my responsibility to manage the deer population," he said. "The amount of regulation and permits you need to shoot deer, when it is a feral species, is atrocious. "I think there is a massive state government failing in this, and there is piss-all funding or support for it." The Victorian government has been contacted for comment. The farmers are now racing to build a tall exclusion fence to keep the deer out. They have raised funds and borrowed money to quickly build the fence before deer eat their remaining 1.6 hectares of produce. Mr Collins has spent more than $25,000 on fencing equipment. "I broke the bank on three-metre-high posts, but it may not be enough," he said. "I've been told if they're hungry enough, they [deer] will jump that. "There are orchards down the road that have deer fencing. The deer got in and stripped all the trees bare. "[Even] truffle farms are struggling with deer."
Khaleej Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Khaleej Times
Russian farmers appeal to Putin for help against antelope invasion
Farmers in Russia's Saratov region have appealed to President Vladimir Putin for help in dealing with an invasion of saiga antelopes that have migrated from Kazakhstan and devastated their fields. The appeal, posted on several popular farmers' channels on Telegram, said that the saiga population has grown uncontrollably in recent years, reaching up to one million in Russia alone. Saratov, located along the Volga River, is the country's sixth-largest grain-producing region, with an annual harvest of about 4 million metric tons, accounting for 3.5% of Russia's total grain harvest. Farmers reported that about 500,000 saigas crossed into Russia from Kazakhstan at the end of May. They said that thousands had drowned in local rivers, contaminating the water supply. "We hope for your understanding and assistance in resolving this situation, which threatens the very existence of agriculture in our region," the farmers said in their appeal. Culling or hunting saigas, which were nearly extinct in the 1990s, is prohibited in Russia. A separate letter to Putin, signed by heads of the region's leading farms and obtained by Reuters, said that crop losses from saigas are not covered by insurance because the animal is not yet listed as an agricultural pest. The Saratov regional Ministry of Agriculture said on Tuesday that it has set up damage assessment commissions and is developing a mechanism to support farmers. The surge in the population of saigas, easily recognised by their trunk-like nose that filters sand particles from the desert air, is considered a global conservation success story. Evgeny Karabanov from Kazakhstan's Grain Union lobby group told Reuters that an estimated 4.0-4.5 million antelopes are currently roaming in the Central Asian country, compared to only 25,000 in the 1990s. "Their migration area has significantly expanded... No one is asking them for passports," Karabanov said.
Arab News
3 days ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Russian farmers appeal to Putin for help against antelope invasion
MOSCOW: Farmers in Russia's Saratov region have appealed to President Vladimir Putin for help in dealing with an invasion of saiga antelopes that have migrated from Kazakhstan and devastated their appeal, posted on several popular farmers' channels on Telegram, said that the saiga population has grown uncontrollably in recent years, reaching up to one million in Russia located along the Volga River, is the country's sixth-largest grain-producing region, with an annual harvest of about 4 million metric tons, accounting for 3.5 percent of Russia's total grain reported that about 500,000 saigas crossed into Russia from Kazakhstan at the end of May. They said that thousands had drowned in local rivers, contaminating the water supply.'We hope for your understanding and assistance in resolving this situation, which threatens the very existence of agriculture in our region,' the farmers said in their appeal. Culling or hunting saigas, which were nearly extinct in the 1990s, is prohibited in Russia.A separate letter to Putin, signed by heads of the region's leading farms and obtained by Reuters, said that crop losses from saigas are not covered by insurance because the animal is not yet listed as an agricultural Saratov regional Ministry of Agriculture said on Tuesday that it has set up damage assessment commissions and is developing a mechanism to support surge in the population of saigas, easily recognized by their trunk-like nose that filters sand particles from the desert air, is considered a global conservation success Karabanov from Kazakhstan's Grain Union lobby group told Reuters that an estimated 4.0-4.5 million antelopes are currently roaming in the Central Asian country, compared to only 25,000 in the 1990s.'Their migration area has significantly expanded... No one is asking them for passports,' Karabanov said.
CBS News
13-05-2025
- Business
- CBS News
San Joaquin County issues disaster declaration for cherries
SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY — Cherries are a favorite summer fruit. This year, however, the staple may be hard to come by. "Right now, the cherry season is looking like we're definitely having a light crop overall," San Joaquin County Farm Bureau Federation Vice President and Lodi Blooms Owner James Chinchiolo said. "Some of the estimates are showing that perhaps half of what the industry is capable of producing." Out of the 19,000 acres of cherry crops across San Joaquin County, it's estimated that 43% of crops have been damaged. For a county that produces nearly 80% of all cherries in the state of California, it's hitting the entire cherry community hard. "Us as farmers, we depend on pickers," Chinchiolo said. "We depend on people hauling the fruit. We depend on electricians. We depend on so many people that help support us in the mission of getting these cherries from the trees to market — and certainly there's a huge trickle down effect here in San Joaquin County." It was all caused by the rain in March and April that affected pollination. After coming off an abnormally warm summer last year, it created the perfect storm for growers. Since cherries are a very sensitive fruit, with the risk of rupturing if water stays on the fruit for too long, it's pushing the San Joaquin County Agriculture Commissioner to declare a disaster. "Whenever the disaster is declared by the Secretary of USDA, the assistance can come in the form of grants to the growers, or most likely in this case, it's going to be low interest loans that are opened up for our grower community," San Joaquin County Agriculture Commissioner Kamal Bagri said. Now that the declaration is submitted, the California Office of Emergency Services will look at the commissioner's data and analyze if the county saw abnormal conditions this season. With the hopes this declaration is accepted, it will bring much needed support to growers across the county. "We're open to accepting support," Chinchiolo said. "That'll help us maintain a healthy operation, keep the folks that work for us employed, and make sure that we can continue to take care of these trees to to produce again for another year." The county estimates a financial loss of nearly $98 million. Still, there are ways to support local. The Cherry Festival in Linden is happening this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Also this weekend, Lodi Blooms will be starting their "Cherry U-Pick" event.
