Nevada County farmers face tough road

By Laura Brown Sun News Service GRASS VALLEY — Farmers are reeling from the combined effects of a late spring frost, a smoky pall during the summer caused by wildfires and a statewide drought. Even after supplementing the season with summer vegetables, farmers who lost their fruit crops to frost say they never recovered from that loss. Chris Bierwagen’s peach and apple trees were probably the hardest hit in the county, with 100 percent loss, he said. It marked another black year in a decade of them: He valued the crop at $200,000. “I was ready to call it quits in a big way,” Bierwagen said. After the frost, he “dozed” most of the trees out. He plans to keep some of his apple and peach trees to sell fruit at his farm stand, but will discontinue the box orders. He has planted rows of blueberries, blackberries and raspberries in... [read full story]