Washington farmers hit hard by floods return to markets

Flats of broccoli, cabbage and onions are ready for planting at Boistfort Valley Farm, where just five months ago, much of Mike Peroni's farm was buried under a foot of mud. Plenty of mud remains, but hardy plants that were thought lost, like irises and lilies, have started to reclaim the land. Peroni and volunteers are digging trenches by hand for strawberries that are just starting to sprout. Peroni, like dozens of farmers affected by the massive floods that swept through southwestern Washington in December, is back in business and readying his land so that he can return to farmers markets in the region by next month. More than 150 southwest Washington producers reported about US$12.5 million in damage ranging from loss of feed and dead animals to fence damage and debris, according to a flood update given to Gov. Chris Gregoire this month. Livestock losses alone numbered about 1,600. About US$152,000 in official aid has been given to farms so far, and just over US$1.8 million is pending. The Lewis County Conservation District is using US$1.4 million in state money allocated this year to reimburse farmers who've had to re-fence, reseed, cultivate and remove soil from their land. The state Department of Natural Resources has been working for months to clear debris and mud from farmers' land. But many farmers say customers' donations — in both money and volunteer time — kept them afloat. "Without them we would have folded. There's just no doubt in my mind," Peroni said. "I gained such a clearer sense of the impact we made on people who buy food from us." The Washington Farm Bureau donated more than US$250,000 to damaged farms. The state Dairy Federation donated about 150 cows worth more than US$200,000, as well as feed. Charlie Haney, general manager of Olympia Farmer's Market, said the market raised close to US$70,000 for about a dozen vendors. Haney said she sent money to farmers who sent her receipts for things they needed that weren't covered by insurance or federal aid, including seeds and planting equipment. The market reopened on April 3, and all the farmers have already returned, or soon will, she said.