BEFORE DISASTER STRIKES
From reducing fuel load on your property to crop insurance, there are many things you can do today to prevent or at least mitigate destruction in the event of a natural disaster. The below resources offer tips and tools for you, your farm and your community.
LAND, ECOSYSTEM & PROPERTY MANAGEMENT
Resources to help you prepare your home, your property and the land for disaster.
Breaking Down Soil Compaction: Does It Increase Forage Production?
Maintaining a healthy and vigorous pasture should be a major objective of grazing management, but it should also be used as a tool for maintaining acceptable soil physical conditions.
Understanding Livestock Grazing Impacts from UC ANR
Information on the impacts of livestock grazing, presented in a comprehensive and accessible guide.
5 Key Wildfire Resilience Practices
It’s not always obvious that some of the ecological farming practices used frequently by farmers, also provide wildfire protection and recovery benefits. Check out the infographic below which was developed by our cross team at CAFF to learn more! Click
Hooves & Hands How We Work Together to Stay, to Heal, and to Coexist in Fire Ecosystems Facing Climate Change
This book is an anthology of resilient communities telling their story of how they built collaboration with people and ruminants. Each one is told with a different voice, a different experience, yet all are connected through the hands of their
Video: Hunter Grazing Cooperative Overview
This video details the work of Sarah Keiser and her efforts in Community Grazing Cooperatives.
Fire Is Family: A Conversation With The Yurok Tribe’s Cultural Fire Management Council
Tribal members Elizabeth Azuz and Margo Robbins join Farmer Campus’s Farmers Build Fire Resilience online course to share knowledge with producers learning to live with the repercussions of an intensifying wildfire season.
Sonoma Biochar Project
Biochar is a specialized form of charcoal that is produced by heating biomass using high heat (typically 350 C to 1000 C) in low-oxygen environments, and that is suitable for use in agriculture. It is commonly used as a soil
Forest Management Handbook for Small-Parcel Landowners in the Sierra Nevada and Southern Cascade Range
A significant portion of Sierra Nevada and southern Cascades forests are owned and managed as small parcels (10 to 100 acres) by nonindustrial private landowners. This handbook is for such landowners; it provides succinct, straight-forward, and thorough information to help
PREScRIBED FIRE
Using controlled burns to prevent future infernos.
Fighting Fire with Fire: Policy Options to Increase the Use of Prescribed Fire on National Forests
From the Rural Voices for Conservation Coalition (RVCC), this report provides an overview of the current science and need for prescribed fire, describes barriers to the use of prescribed fire on public lands in the western U.S. managed by the
California’s Strategic Plan for Expanding the Use of Beneficial Fire
The purpose of this Strategic Plan is to guide the expansion of beneficial fire across the state through 2025, as set forth in California’s Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan.
Pathways to Prescribed Fire Report March 2022
From the Rural Voices for Conservation Coalition (RVCC), three case studies highlighting opportunities for community based nonprofits to build cooperative burning capacity.
PROTECTING LIVESTOCK
Resources to help you prepare livestock in the event of a wildfire.
HALTER Project
The HALTER Project provides first responders and their communities with information and resources for animal emergencies. In any situation: road accident, fire, flood, earthquake, landslide, or pasture, the best outcome for animals and humans is achieved through teamwork between trained first
Developing a Wildfire Plan for Livestock
With the fires raging across the state, we are reminded once again of the risk wildfire poses to all of our farms and ranches. It is a good time to revisit (or create) a farm and ranch safety plan and
Saving the Whole Family
The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) has developed this booklet to help you avoid having to leave your animals stranded in the event of a disaster or an evacuation. Tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, fires, blizzards, terrorism… Devastating natural and man-made disasters
Webinar: Saving the Ranch
Wildfire preparedness tips from a firefighter, veterinarian, and ranch owner. Presented by the UC Davis Western Institute for Food Safety and Security and the Halter Project.
Disaster Planning for Livestock
Transporting livestock animals to safety when disaster strikes can be difficult. Disaster preparedness is important for all animals, but it is particularly important for livestock because of the animals’ size and the requirements needed to shelter and transport them. If
Wildfire & Rangeland Management: Mediating Impacts to Conservation & Ranching
A series of presentations from California ranchers, technical advisors, and researchers on wildfire risk management in rangelands. From the California Rangeland Conservation Coalition.
INSURANCE
Insurance options to help protect your crops and property against natural disasters.
Webinar: Climate Conversations: Insurance
A conversation about how to ensure the insurance industry can continue to support Americans amidst increasing climate hazards.
Webinar: Financial Prep For Disaster 101
From Farmer Campus, this recorded workshop will give you an overview of the financial resources available to farmers in the event that a disaster strikes.
Webinar: Small Farms Disaster Insurance Part 1
From Farmer Campus, this webinar provides an overview of insurance for small farms, including how insurance works and what to buy.
Micro Farm Program
Information about The Micro Farm program offered through the USDA. The Micro Farm program provides a risk management safety net for all commodities on your farm under one insurance policy. This insurance plan is tailored for any farm with up
Introducing The New Micro Farm Insurance Program For Farmer And Ranchers
This recorded webinar with Catharine Anderson the Risk Management Agency covers the new Micro Farm program. This new crop insurance program is offered through the Whole-Farm Revenue Protection policy and is tailored to small producers who sell their products locally with operations that earn
Service Providers for Small Farmers – Crowd Sourced
From Farmer Campus, this crowd sourced spreadsheet contains recommendations for farmers to obtain support and connect with agents around disaster and crop insurance, as well as bookkeepers, CPAs, and attorneys.
CA Dept. of Insurance
The California Department of Insurance (CDI) provides several information guides, tips and tools to help you understand home/residential insurance so that you can make the best decision for your situation. If you do not find the information you need, we invite you
The FAIR Plan
The FAIR Plan provides insurance as a last resort, and should be used only after a diligent effort to obtain coverage in the voluntary market has been made.
PREPARING YOUR COMMUNITY
Tips and resources to help your community prepare collectively for the event of disaster, from mobilizing your neighborhood to local policies.
Earth, Fire, and Water
CAFF Sends Fellow to Fire Practitioner Training Last fall, CAFF’s Wildfire Resilience Program sent Josh Harjes, its resident Grizzly Corps fellow, to a Firefighter Type 2 training in northwestern Sonoma County. There he learned about fire lighting techniques, fire suppression
Community Wildfire Planning Center
This non-profit organization believes in empowering people through wildfire education and action. They assist state and local governments, fire departments, land managers, and residents in creating safe and vibrant places. Also, they inspire change by facilitating positive outcomes. Check out
Wildfire Community Preparedness Day 2023
Happy wildfire community preparedness day! Have you ever looked at your calendar and noticed there’s a holiday that you’ve never heard of before? Sure, there are the ones that are quite well-known, but every once in a while you see
Episode 2: Wild Oat Hollow Penngrove, CA
In this episode, Sarah Keiser of Wild Oat Hollow in Penngrove, CA describes her entry into ranching and how her love of the land positioned her to become a leader in developing and supporting community grazing cooperatives. Join us as
New Podcast Season: Farmer Stories of Wildfire Recovery & Preparedness
CAFF’s Wildfire Resilience Program provides specialized recovery and preparedness resources for small farms and communities in California impacted by wildfire and those seeking to prepare against future threats. One of the best mediums for conducting this type of outreach and
The Combustibility of Landscape Mulches from the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension
Using the results from this project, recommendations are offered concerning the use of mulches in wildfire hazard areas.
Fire Safe Council Handbook
A Fire Safe Council is a coalition of public and private sector organizations that share a common, vested interest in wildfire prevention and loss mitigation.
Maneuvering Through Wildfire Evacuations – for Small Farmers
Farmers face increasing fire frequency, size and severity due to several factors, including climate change, the spread of invasive grasses and by changing farming practices. If you live and farm in California, wildfire is not an “if” but a “when”.
GENERAL FARM DISASTER PLANNING RESOURCES
Navigating Public Safety Power Shut Offs for Farmers
PG&E will implement a Public Safety Power Shutoff, also called a PSPS, in response to severe weather as a public safety measure. After the catastrophic fires of 2017 and 2018, they now turn off power in a proactive attempt to
Building Vulnerability to Ember Exposure
As part of its research effort to study and understand the vulnerabilities of buildings subjected to wildfire exposures, IBHS developed the capability of simulating ember exposures on building components and assemblies. These videos show the results of their simulations.
Quick Intro to On-Farm Fire Preparedness
In this 7 minute overview, you will learn about basic concepts to get your farm prepared for wildfire season.
Fighting Farmland and Rangeland Wildfires
A reference for employers engaged in Oregon OSHA’s Agriculture (Division 4) activities.
Wildfire Preparedness in Agriculture – Online Course Certified for OR OSHA
This course is designed to prepare farmers, ranchers and rural residents for wildfires. You will cover wildfire risk awareness, emergency response and prevention planning, and creating defensible space. Over the course of seven modules, you will learn how to create
Ready on the Farm Disasters Preparedness Plan
From Farmer Campus and Nuestra Comunidad, Disaster Preparedness Plan for farming or ranching families, businesses and their workforce.
Go-Kits and Wildfire Emergency Plans from Bee-Well Farms
Getting your farm and crew prepared for a disaster like a wildfire can feel overwhelming – but having a plan and Go-Bags ahead of time is a critical step in decreasing your risk and increasing your ability to safely and
Intro to On-Farm Wildfire Preparedness with BeeWell Farms, Farmer Campus and CAFF
As we head into spring, there’s no better time to evaluate your on-farm risk, get your evacuation plan made and practice your response plan ahead of fire season! Check out this workshop recording featuring guest farmer educators Austin and Melissa
The Aftermath
Once the smoke has cleared, there’s a lot more to do than just assess the damage. The steps you take in the aftermath of a natural disaster can help position you, your farm and your community for a healthy and equitable recovery. From financial aid to land management practices, these resources will help get you back on your feet and back to farming the food we need.