Extent of tornado damage to Colorado agriculture not yet known
Extent of tornado damage to Colorado agriculture not yet known
Officials from the U.S. Department of Agriculture are assessing the extent of damage sustained by Colorado agricultural producers in Weld and Larimer counties following a powerful tornado and hailstorm prior to the Memorial Day weekend.
The areas sustaining the heaviest damage were Windsor, Greeley and Dacono. Windsor -- a populated rural city in Weld County -- was the epicenter of a mile-wide twister that unleashed its wrath shortly before noon on May 22. The city's Cornerstone subdivision looked like a war zone after the tornado peeled away roofs like sardine can tops, damaged or collapsed residences and businesses, and strewed debris throughout the area.
The tornado resulted in one fatality, and 100 people flooded area emergency rooms for treatment of injuries associated with the storm. Gov. Bill Ritter declared a state of emergency, dispatching the Colorado National Guard to the scene. On Tuesday, May 27, President Bush signed an emergency disaster declaration, allowing federal funds to be made available to people in the damage-stricken area.
"Agricultural-producing areas were not as hard-hit as Windsor," said Val Manning, business administration coordinator for Grant Family Farms in Wellington, which sells organic fresh fruits and vegetables throughout Colorado's Front Range and in southern Wyoming. "Miraculously, [the tornado] managed to miss us."
Mr. Manning continued, "We were very fortunate in that the only real casualty of the day was our turkey house. Otherwise, we had some slight lettuce and spinach damage. But this early in the season, we expect them to quickly rebound."
David Petrocco Jr., sales manager for David Petrocco Farms in Brighton, said that the company lost a center pivot irrigation rig to the twister. "The center pivot just got totaled," he said. "We lost a few onions." He added that damage resulting from the tornado was not as severe as hailstorm damage sustained in past years.
Sakata Farms Inc., also located in Brighton, escaped the storm. "We're OK," said President Bob Sakata, who added that the twister touched down in Platteville, slightly north of the company's production acreage.
Chuck Bird, who handles sales for Martin Produce in Greeley, said that the tornado came close. "It went over us," he said of the path.
Martin Produce grows and markets conventional potatoes and onions, and Mr. Bird said that there was some slight crop damage. The twister damaged some of the company's outbuildings, but Mr. Bird said that he does not anticipate the damage to be problematic for the coming season.
Lynn Fagerberg, president of Fagerberg Produce Inc. in Eaton, CO, said the tornado itself did not damage onion-growing fields.
However, he added that the 2007-08 winter has been characterized by wind, snow and cold temperatures, all of which will combine to have a negative effect on onions this growing season.
The areas sustaining the heaviest damage were Windsor, Greeley and Dacono. Windsor -- a populated rural city in Weld County -- was the epicenter of a mile-wide twister that unleashed its wrath shortly before noon on May 22. The city's Cornerstone subdivision looked like a war zone after the tornado peeled away roofs like sardine can tops, damaged or collapsed residences and businesses, and strewed debris throughout the area.
The tornado resulted in one fatality, and 100 people flooded area emergency rooms for treatment of injuries associated with the storm. Gov. Bill Ritter declared a state of emergency, dispatching the Colorado National Guard to the scene. On Tuesday, May 27, President Bush signed an emergency disaster declaration, allowing federal funds to be made available to people in the damage-stricken area.
"Agricultural-producing areas were not as hard-hit as Windsor," said Val Manning, business administration coordinator for Grant Family Farms in Wellington, which sells organic fresh fruits and vegetables throughout Colorado's Front Range and in southern Wyoming. "Miraculously, [the tornado] managed to miss us."
Mr. Manning continued, "We were very fortunate in that the only real casualty of the day was our turkey house. Otherwise, we had some slight lettuce and spinach damage. But this early in the season, we expect them to quickly rebound."
David Petrocco Jr., sales manager for David Petrocco Farms in Brighton, said that the company lost a center pivot irrigation rig to the twister. "The center pivot just got totaled," he said. "We lost a few onions." He added that damage resulting from the tornado was not as severe as hailstorm damage sustained in past years.
Sakata Farms Inc., also located in Brighton, escaped the storm. "We're OK," said President Bob Sakata, who added that the twister touched down in Platteville, slightly north of the company's production acreage.
Chuck Bird, who handles sales for Martin Produce in Greeley, said that the tornado came close. "It went over us," he said of the path.
Martin Produce grows and markets conventional potatoes and onions, and Mr. Bird said that there was some slight crop damage. The twister damaged some of the company's outbuildings, but Mr. Bird said that he does not anticipate the damage to be problematic for the coming season.
Lynn Fagerberg, president of Fagerberg Produce Inc. in Eaton, CO, said the tornado itself did not damage onion-growing fields.
However, he added that the 2007-08 winter has been characterized by wind, snow and cold temperatures, all of which will combine to have a negative effect on onions this growing season.
