Near-total ban on agricultural burning now in effect for San Joaquin Valley farmers
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY — Of the hundreds of new laws that went into effect on New Year's Day, one piece of legislation that was first passed by the state legislature more than 20 years ago is finally in place.
It bans open agricultural burning on all San Joaquin Valley farms and vineyards, supported by the California Air Resources Board (CARB).
The legislation, Senate Bill 705, was first signed into law in 2003 to help phase out ag burning because "It is an important contributor to the persistent air quality issues that the San Joaquin Valley faces," a CARB spokesperson told CBS13 in a statement.
The San Joaquin Valley has some of the worst air quality in the nation which fails to meet federal health standards for both ozone and particulate pollution, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
It would take until January 1, 2025, for the burning ban to finally be in full effect with a few exceptions outlined by the enforcing agency, the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District.
"This is great progress. Those of us who have been trying to clean up the air in the San Joaquin Valley have been working toward this day for a very long time," said Bill Magavern, policy director for Coalition for Clean Air.
The Coalition supported the legislation since its inception and advocated for it as recently as 2021 before CARB.
"Particle pollution kills thousands of Californians every year, so it's important to do everything we can to reduce this pollution. Ag burning was one important source that we needed to eliminate," Magavern said.
But California farmers are pushing back -- saying the cost of eliminating ag burning will hurt their already hurting industry.
"In the past, you'd be burning those piles down and recycling that metal through a metal recycler. Today, you need to remove the metal first, recycle that metal, then figure out what you need to do with the biological material there," said Kyle Collins of the large waste piles often seen scattered on valley farms.
Collins is the manager for the Northern branch of the Allied Grape Growers, based in Lodi. He said the burning ban is expensive and in poor timing.
"We're really in an unprecedented market squeeze. Things that would have been economically viable for us five, six, seven years ago today are not so economically viable when you are talking about not having received a return on that vineyard," Collins said.
Collins said demand for wine grapes is down, which means business is slowing down for valley grape growers. Slapping an added cost onto these farmers that could total $2,000 to $3,000 per acre is harmful, Collins advocated.
"Today, what's economically feasible is not the same as it would have been in a healthy market ten years ago," Collins said. "I do think it's going to be part of a decision farmers make about whether I remove this vineyard or just abandon it. That leads to all sorts of disease issues, challenges with neighbor relations and certainly limits your ability to pivot into alternative crops."
Farmers are now left with less cost-efficient ways to get rid of waste.
"Farmers have had many, many years to make the transition to non-burning methods. They can use chipping and mulching and that's much healthier for the region," Magavern argued.
But for farmers in a state that produces the most food and wine in the nation -- does cleaner air now come at too high a cost? Collins, on behalf of the Allied Grape Growers, believes so.
"We live, we work, we raise our kids in these communities, too. We want to have healthy, sustainable communities. But a big part of that is making sure the economy of these rural communities is also sustainable," Collins said.
There is some financial help for farmers available through their local air district, but Collins said it is about to run out and the state needs to fund more.
"As the District strives to meet attainment with strict Federal air quality standards, allocation for agricultural burning has become increasingly limited. The District strongly encourages growers with disposal deadlines to explore alternative means of disposal prior to requesting a burn permit, including the District's Ag Burn Alternatives Grant Program," the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District outlines on its website.
Read more on the ban and who can still apply for a burn permit under the new standards at this link.
