It was not the first time that a wildfire has kept field workers from earning a living. Samuel said he experienced a similar episode while picking fruit in Ventura County during the Thomas fire of 2017-2018. A majority of farming operations in Ventura County are smaller growers that might not have crop insurance or are underinsured because fire coverage is not available for all farms. California's basic fire insurance program is limited to coverage for farm structures and is prohibitively expensive, said Maureen McGuire, executive officer for the Farm Bureau of Ventura County. More than 2,800 people responded as of Thursday, with 91% of those responses coming from field workers.

Source: Los Angeles Times November 21, 2024 08:44 UTC