Wheat Fungus Prompts Agriculture Emergency
From Times Wire Reports
Kings County supervisors have declared a local agriculture emergency after a fungus has damaged the county’s wheat crop.
The fungus, called stripe rust, has caused $5.5 million in damage to an estimated 19,000 acres of this spring’s crop, said Tim Niswander, Kings County’s acting agriculture supervisor.
The county’s 247 wheat farmers who suffered financial losses may be able to apply for low-interest loans from the U.S. Department of Agriculture after the emergency declaration.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
