County Declared Disaster Area After Freeze

Ventura County was one of 18 counties in the state to be declared a disaster area Friday by federal officials in the wake of a December cold snap that caused $74.3 million in damage to local lemon, orange and avocado crops.

The worst-hit areas in the county were in and around Santa Paula, Ojai and the Santa Rosa Valley.

The announcement means that growers who suffered large losses may apply for low-interest federal loans.

Although a handful of small growers lost substantial portions of their crops, the freeze affected smaller amounts of fruit at dozens of the county’s larger farms.

“Though the industry-wide loss was fairly substantial, there aren’t a large number of individual growers who may qualify or seek those loans,” said Dave Buettner, the county’s chief deputy agriculture commissioner.

“But this is a good thing because it affords them the opportunity to seek funding if they need it,” he said.

Rex Laird, executive director of the Ventura County Farm Bureau, said his office had received about 10 inquiries from farmers seeking information on funding help.

*

DISASTER AREAS: 17 other California counties qualify for aid. A21