Why Farmers Burn Their Fields

The burning of grass fields is an agricultural practice that has long been used by farmers for a variety of agronomic reasons. Essentially, the burning process stimulates the plant to produce abundant seed yields in the following year. Burning also helps to control, dust and it reduces erosion by eliminating ground disturbance caused by mechanical treatments. Furthermore, burning kills diseases and pests in the plants and reduces excess vegetative residue from the fields. The bluegrass grown on the Rathdrum Prairie is protecting and purifying our drinking water 365 days a year. This is an environment benefit that will be extremely important over time.

Although burning is currently the most viable practice in terms of economic reasons, the farmers in the North Idaho area are constantly working with organizations like the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), Universities, and private industry to search for ways to produce healthy yields without burning the fields.

Learn More about Smoke Management

What is the Idaho Smoke Management Advisory Board?
EPA standards - PM 10 and PM 2.5 - and their significance
How farmers comply with the EPA standards
Why farmers burn their fields
Burning season updates and information
PM 10 level graphs for the North Idaho area
Smoke management research
Contact the ISMAB