S.D. County Farm Bureau to present tradeshow Feb. 21 focusing on security measures for agricultural operations

The San Diego County Farm Bureau, in partnership with the San Diego County Sheriff's and District Attorney's offices will present a Farm Security tradeshow on Thurs., Feb. 21 from 2 to 5 p.m. at the California Center for the Arts in Escondido. The event will focus on available security services and products that can be tailored to meet the unique needs of agricultural operations.

The goal is to equip farmers and property owners with the best tools and information on how to protect themselves and their property.

Vendors will show equipment, tools, and provide information designed to provide crime prevention.

Deputy District Attorney, Liz Silva, said the idea for a trade show came to her after an unusual arrest for an agricultural crime.

"A crook was stealing avocados in a grove at night and was caught on an infrared trail camera complete with time and date stamp. A detective was able to use a photograph from the camera to identify the suspect and get a confession," authorities said. Silva was able to secure a felony conviction.

"After I told that story, several people approached me about the camera that was used. It turns out people were unaware of what great improvements have been made in security technology. From this I had the idea to put on a kind of trade show and invite anyone I could think of who is in the security business to reach out to farmers and let them know what options are out there,” said Silva.

The California Center for the Arts is located at 340 North Escondido Blvd., Escondido, Calif., 92025.

Those who have a business offering security solutions that might like to be part of this event are welcome to call Casey Anderson at the Farm Bureau office at (760) 745-3023 or email [email protected].