"If the owner gets an offer to sell the land for development, it could be gone before you put in your next crop."
He said the country lost about $400 million in crops, including bananas and coffee.
The community ultimately failed because of the difficulty in growing crops.
Birds swallow food and store it in their crop if necessary.
"We need to invest in crops that can be profitable on their own and support those who want to plant them."
There are chickens in some yards and crops grown near others.
This has cost the state billions of dollars in livestock and crops.
Fungi are the most common cause of diseases in crops and other plants.
California agriculture officials say farmers have lost $1.2 billion in crops so far, and predict that the figure could go higher.