Blue Diamond Almond Facts March-April 2021

expressed that soil incorporation was not economically feasible given the size of their orchards. The grape and wine industry also articulated how alternatives to burning requires chipping, and there is so-far no-way to chip vines without first removing trellising wire. Despite the extensive public testimony from growers, the CARB board voted unanimously to phase-out agricultural burning in the San Joaquin Valley by January 1, 2025 with few exceptions. Funding Needed for the Agriculture Industry to End Agricultural Burning in the San Joaquin Valley In preparation for a worse case CARB board decision and ultimate implementation of a total phase-out, the Almond Alliance and our agricultural association collaborators focused on increasing state funding for soil incorporation incentive programs, chipping, shredding equipment and air curtain burners as well as bio energy solutions. While incorporating chipped woody biomass into ag lands can provide some soil and carbon sequestration benefits (at least for orchard removals), it takes time for those benefits to accrue economically to the grower. Thus, the “Alternative to Agricultural Burning” program facilitated by the District incentivizes growers to utilize alternatives to burning such as whole orchard recycling by covering the additional in-field costs of the alternative compared to burning or sending to a biomass plant if feasible. In the past, biomass plants would cover some of the in-field cost of chipping orchard removals prior to shipping to their facilities. The program has been utilized widely in the almond industry but needs to be expanded to other woody crops in order to phase-out ag burning in the San Joaquin Valley. The Almond Alliance and our agriculture trade partners have asked that the state increase their investment in this program so it can be expanded with additional incentives for smaller growers. The utilization of chipping and shredding on small acreage is also challenged by the availability of equipment and the fact that small jobs are less profitable for custom chipping and shredding operators. In the meanwhile, while prunings lie on the orchard floor, other orchard activities such as integrated pest management activities (e.g. mummy nut removal and weed management cannot occur.) The Almond Alliance articulated that for whole orchard removals to be feasible on small orchards the primary issue is the availability of equipment that can function on small acreages. In terms of reducing the hurdles to chipping/shredding because of costs, availability, right-sized equipment, we proposed forming a stakeholder group to make recommendations on how to catalyze chipping/shredding and orchard removal services that are economical and available to small growers. A primary goal is to motivate custom operators to make new equipment investments and grow their businesses to service small farms. We also requested funding incentives for chipping/shredding Contact us at 1-800-BOWSMITH or www.bowsmith.com Scan this code to learn more about Fan-Jet Microsprinklers Fan-Jet Microsprinklers ® Add a Fan-Jet ® line to existing dual line drip -Why? Quality & Trust Since 1974 Quality & Trust Since 1974 Precision Rain - Rain when you want it, where you want it. Frost Protection - Fan-Jets can help provide frost protection by raising the ambient temperature by 2-3 degrees. Fan-Jets will allow you to push salts away from the root zone. Tell your dealer you want Fan-Jets. American Made Family-Owned 2 1 M A R C H – A P R I L 2 0 2 1