-1 ALTERNATIVES to AGRICULTURAL BURNING Agricultural Practices To Help Eliminate or Reduce The Need to Burn Prepared for the State of Washington Edited by Department of Ecology Donna Guske Hansen Air Quality Program John E. Carlson Editors Donna Guske Hansen, M.S. Agricultural Education, University of Idaho, 1996, B.S. Plant Science, Utah State University, 1989, grew up on a dryland wheat farm near the town of LaCrosse, Washington. She has taught extensively in adult/community education programs. She was the lead writer/editor for the Idaho Ag in the Classroom curriculum revision of 1998. John E. Carlson was employed at the University of Idaho since 1970 and a Rural Sociologist in the College of Agriculture until his retirement in 1999. His research interests have included wild and scenic rivers, rural health care, the adoption of new technology by farmers, and the social aspects of soil conservation. He established the Social Science Research Unit in the College of Agriculture at the University of Idaho in 1990 and served as its director until his retirement. He conducted research on the adoption of soil erosion control practices as part of the STEEP project for about 20 years. He currently owns Carlson Consulting. Reviewers Edgar L. Michalson, University of Idaho Robert I. Papendick, Washington State University Diana Roberts, Washington State University Roland Schirman, Washington State University Art Schultheis, farmer, Colton, Washington Donald C. Thill, University of Idaho Philip Wandschneider, Washington State University Funding Source The funding source provided by the State of Washington, Department of Ecology is the Federal Partnership grant, Section 105 of the Clean Air Act. The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number for this funding source is 66.605. The recipient of the grant was Carlson Consulting. The information provided in this manual is for educational purposes only. References to commercial products or trade names do not constitute endorsements, and do not imply discrimination against other similar products. For information on obtaining additional copies of this manual, contact: Department of Ecology, Air Quality Program, 4601 N. Monroe, Spokane, WA 99205-1295, (509) 329-3523. November 2004 Contents Preface SECTION 1 — Background & Health Considerations U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Washington State Department of Ecology Health Considerations SECTION 2 — Crop Residue Northwest Considerations Challenges Possible Solutions Definitions Tillage Type Definitions Direct-Seed Definitions Managing Crop Residue Crop Residue as Cover Distributing Combine Residue Capturing and Storing Winter Precipitation Storing Precipitation on Summer Fallow with Surface Residue Precision Agriculture: Tillage and Residue Management Strategies for Variable Cropland SECTION 3 — Weeds SECTION 4 — Diseases SECTION 5 — Insects Cereal Rye Bacterial Leaf Blight Apple Maggot in orchards Downy Brome Bacterial Leaf Streak, Black Chaff Cabbage Seedpod Weevil Garlic Mustard Barley Scald Cereal Leaf Beetle Gorse Cephalosporium Stripe Codling Moth in orchards Italian Ryegrass Fire Blight of tree fruit Hessian Fly Jointed Goatgrass Fusarium Crown/Foot/Root Rot Shothole Borer in orchards Knapweed, Russian Powdery Mildew Western Cherry Fruit Fly in Knapweed, Spotted Pythium Root rot orchards Kochia Rhizoctonia Root Rot, Bare Patch Wheat Stem Sawfly Saltcedar Sclerotinia Crown and Root Rot Thistle, Canada Septoria Leaf Blotch and Glume Blotch Thistle, Musk Smut – Common, Dwarf, Flag Thistle, Russian Snow Molds, Snow Rots Thistle, Scotch Stem Rust Wild Oats Strawbreaker Foot Rot, Eyespot Yellow Starthistle Take-all SECTION 6 — Using Fire as a Tool Burning Crop Residue: A Few Guidelines Minimum Residue Levels for Burning Conditions for Allowable Burning General Guidelines Special Considerations Managing Fire and Smoke Drying Times Ignition Patterns Igniting Techniques Qualities of a Cleaner Fire ALTERNATIVES to AGRICULTURAL BURNING (11/2004) Contents No single pest management option will provide complete control. For profitable crop production, while exercising good stewardship of natural resources, farm operators must employ a combination of management practices. The most effective and economical control will be achieved by using an integrated approach. Growers need to balance practices for managing residue and controlling weeds, diseases, and insects with economics and environmental impacts on water conservation, erosion control, and air quality. ALTERNATIVES to AGRICULTURAL BURNING (11/2004) Contents Preface Agricultural field burning is a topic of debate among growers of agricultural products and persons concerned with the health effects of smoke produced from agricultural burning. This manual has been prepared for the Washington State Department of Ecology, Air Quality Program to satisfy a provision of the Cereal Grain–Stubble Burning–Settlement Agreement between Save Our Summers and the Washington State Department of Ecology. This manual presents to growers the best available research-based information regarding reasonable alternatives to burning for residue, weeds, diseases, and insects. The focus is primarily on cereal crops; however, the discussion includes orchard situations. This information is offered to growers to assist them with developing management plans that will help eliminate or reduce the need to burn, and to permitting authorities to help them determine when burning is allowable. Fact sheets describing alternatives to burning, and the effectiveness of burning, bring research-based information from many different sources to a single document for access by farmers, range managers, orchardists, permitting authorities, and others who wish to use the information. Content is intended to be informative and educational. All sources are listed at the end of each fact sheet. It is acknowledged, “One size does not fit all,” when describing strategies for managing production problems for which burning has been applied in the past. It is recognized that no single pest management option will provide complete control. For profitable crop production, while exercising good stewardship of natural resources, farm operators must employ a combination of management practices. The most effective and economical control will be achieved by using an integrated approach. Before using fire as a tool, growers should consider other management practices and factor in economics together with environmental impacts on water conservation, erosion control, and air quality, when making decisions on which to use. When burning is necessary, it should be (1) a first step to a non-burn program, or (2) a last option. Burning without a follow-up plan can easily lead to failure to control the problem, and create an unnecessary risk to the environment and public health. The topics addressed in this manual are the most likely reasons for which agricultural burn permits are requested. This manual has been prepared so that individual fact sheets or sections can “stand alone,” be removed from the binder, photocopied, and given to growers. This format allows future updates to be inserted at minimal expense. ALTERNATIVES to AGRICULTURAL BURNING (11/2004) Preface Ag Facts & Stats 2002 Census of Agriculture Washington State Profile Operator Characteristics Quantity Principal operators by primary occupation: Farming 21,013 Other 14,926 Principal operators by sex: Male 30,307 Female 5,632 Average age of principal operator (years) 55.4 All operators by race: White 53,209 Black or African American 67 American Indian or Alaska Native 755 Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander 50 Asian 493 More than one race 307 All operators of Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino Origin 1,821 Source: http://www.nass.usda.gov/ ALTERNATIVES to AGRICULTURAL BURNING (11/2004) Preface Background U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Clean Air Act, Title 1 standards. A State Implementation Prescribed fires are conducted Prescribed fire has long been a Plan is a detailed description of the within the limits of a fire plan and useful management tool for programs a state will use to carry prescription that describes both the croplands, rangelands, and forests. out its responsibilities under the acceptable range of weather, As concern for air quality Clean Air Act. moisture, fuel, and fire behavior parameters, and the ignition increases, however, it becomes Air Emissions from more important to ensure that method to achieve the desired Agricultural Practices intentional or prescribed burning is effects. Prescribed fire is a cost- The degree to which ambient air used responsibly. effective and ecologically sound emissions from farming practices, EPA is working with the tool for forest, range, and wetland such as prescribed burning, are agricultural community to devise management. Its use reduces the allowed, are location-specific, that reasonable, science-based policies potential for destructive wildfires is, specific to a geographic area, that define the role of agricultural and thus maintains long-term air within each State Implementation burning in a way that allows quality. Also, the practice removes Plan. Visibility standards may also efficient agricultural production as logging residues, controls insects apply. Locations that are in areas well as a healthy environment. and disease, improves wildlife that have unacceptable levels of Pursuant to Title 1 of the Clean habitat and forage production, one or more criteria air pollutants Air Act, EPA has established increases water