Recent study expects Yuma County farms to lose $2.8 million per year to natural hazards

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - According to a recent study by Trace One, they say Yuma County farms are expected to lose $2.8 million per year to natural hazards.

"The weather experts are telling us that here in the southwest, we have been suffering now in a 22 year drought," said Julie Murphree with the Arizona Farm Bureau Federation

The Arizona Farm Bureau says agriculture product loss is another factor that impacts food inflation.

"We have monsoons, and we didn't really have much of a monsoon on the front end of our planting season, and that can affect crops," said JV Smith Companies Chief Agricultural Officer Matt Mcguire.

JV Smith companies Chief Agricultural Officer Matt McGuire has been farming here for over 4 decades. He shares how weather also impacted his crops.

"Like this year, the big thing that affected the crops was that heat in September and going into October," said McGuire. "Made stands light, put the yields off, those kind of things, so we had crop loses in those kinds of things."

He says farmers often have to plan ahead to lessen damage and risk.

"It's hard to plan for natural disasters, but we know some things like if it starts raining and it gets wet around here, we know that will cause mildew, so you start putting on preventative programs for mildew, so you don't lose the crop," said Mcguire.

Even in the midst of the drought, the Arizona Farm Bureau says Yuma is still able to remain successful because of our location's sunshine, good soil, available labor, and ability to still grow in the winter.

"We have over 300 plus days of our sunshine, so while we can have floods, while we can have droughts, the majority of the time, our weather is pristine, and we have a lot of good sunlight," said Murphree.