America’s Carbon Footprint is one of the nation’s biggest concerns as more and more changes are made to decrease pollution and turn to renewable energy.
Seven years ago Senator Dean Florez sponsored the SB 705 bill in California that banned agricultural burning across the state. The ban went into affect for vineyards and nut crops, but the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution committee voted that orchards with 20 acres or less were allowed to burn until 2010.
This extension was to give small farms a chance to find a cheaper alternative to crop burning. However, some industry groups fear this is not enough time and many farmers have no found alternatives for clearing waste in their fields.
On May 30 The Air Pollution Control District is holding a hearing to decide if the Jun 1 deadline should be extended. California officials have been asking farmers to take waste to biomass plants if they have no other way to dispose of waste, but this isn’t always economically feasible for farmers.
Although waste removal is the biggest need for burning, many producers burn fields to prevent disease from spreading to new crops as well.
The topic is a heated debate amongst producers and committee members. Producers will continue burning until the ban goes into complete effect. Agriculture groups are pushing for small farms to be allowed to use burning despite the bill.
Federal Reserve stated interest rates for California farm loans are likely to rise soon. Refinance your farm loans and debt for a better rate and term before rates go up. Call a representative by dialing 866-929-5585 or start your farm loan application online.