Facts
vs. Myths About Postharvest Burning
It isn't hard to find opinions
on grass field burning. It is hard to find facts.
The objective of this page is to provide you with
facts about grass field burning in North Idaho.
Myth: Farmers
can just switch to a new crop instead of growing
Kentucky bluegrass.
Fact: A field
planted to Kentucky bluegrass produces no seed
crop the year it is planted. The farmer recovers
the expenses of the first year's work in subsequent
years. Kentucky bluegrass is not replanted each
spring. Many fields remain in place for a number
of years. It's a long-term crop, and growing Kentucky
bluegrass as a part of a crop rotation takes long-term
planning.
Additionally, farmers use different
equipment to raise bluegrass than for other crops.
Seed processors can't mix seed types at their
processing plants. A large-scale shift away from
Kentucky bluegrass to other crops would require
expensive retooling and facility conversion.
Myth: An elimination
of field burning creates few negative impacts
and many positive ones.
Fact: Kentucky
bluegrass helps to protect our environment. Over
the last two decades, conservation districts encouraged
farmers to plant Kentucky bluegrass to help reduce
airborne dust and to prevent erosion. The deep
roots of Kentucky bluegrass hold soil in place,
reducing erosion and protecting water quality.
In areas with steep slopes, Kentucky bluegrass
can stabilize slopes, further reducing the risk
of erosion.
Myth: Farmers
could stop burning whenever they wanted. They
just don't want to because the alternatives are
expensive.
Fact: Farmers
would stop burning if they had a viable alternative.
There simply isn't one today. Farmers have been
seeking an alternative to grass field burning
for over a decade. But it's a complicated problem.
Most grasses evolved under conditions where fires
regularly occurred. The diseases and pests that
plague grasses thrive when fields aren't burned.
Finding an artificial treatment that can replace
the natural burning cycle has proven to be a difficult
task.
It's even more difficult to find
alternatives to burning when farmers grow bluegrass
on steep and rocky slopes. In these situations,
bluegrass helps to build soil and to prevent erosion.
Burning leaves grass roots intact, and that helps
to hold the soil and maintain water quality.
Myth: grass
field burning is one of the area's worst air pollution
problems.
Fact: Particulate
matter records taken at measuring stations in
Coeur d'Alene and Sandpoint indicate that grass
field burning does not significantly impact air
quality.
In fact, analysis of air pollution
data indicates that eliminating grass field burning
will not noticeably decrease air pollution levels.
In 1995, air pollution monitors
showed that particulate levels in north Idaho
were the lowest on record. Grass field burning
in Idaho was not responsible for any violations
of the PM10 standards. Even if the EPA adopted
more stringent PM2.5 air quality standard, field
burning would not have caused a violation of air
quality standards.
However, there are several days
each year when air quality standards are exceeded.
Those days occur in the winter when automobile
combustion fumes and wood smoke concentrate in
the Spokane and Coeur d'Alene valleys.
Occasionally, there are days
in the summer when airborne particulates reach
high levels. Those days are associated with high
winds and airborne dust. In the mid-60s, many
conservation districts encouraged farmers to plant
bluegrass to help reduce the amount of dust in
our air. Bluegrass played a key role in helping
to improve our air quality.
Myth: Grass
field burning severely impacts the health of North
Idaho residents.
Fact: Hospital
admission records don't show any increase in admissions
due to respiratory problems when farmers are burning.
The greatest number of hospital admissions for
respiratory problems occur in the winter when
air quality reaches its worst levels.
Myth: Farmers
just don't want to be regulated like other industries.
Fact: Farmers
have been asking to be regulated on the basis
of actual particulate emissions just like other
industries are. Farmers would like to see air
quality regulations based upon scientific measures
instead of subjective judgments.
Farmers in North Idaho
care about their families, their neighbors, and
the communities where they live. Many of the farms
where Kentucky bluegrass is raised have been in
the same families for generations. Farmers aren't
afraid of regulation. They are afraid of regulations
based upon myths instead of facts
Benefits
of Kentucky Bluegrass
About
Postharvest Burning
Facts
vs. Myths About Postharvest Burning
The
Grass Seed Industry
Grass
Seed Research Programs
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