The Valley Air District’s Governing Board took action on Feb. 20 to enhance the Low-Dust Nut Harvester Replacement Program. The program helps farmers upgrade to cleaner, more efficient equipment while improving air quality and public health across the San Joaquin Valley. Advancing low-emission technology in this sector is vital for continued air quality improvements in the Valley’s rural communities. With the action, the Governing Board will increase the per-unit incentive amount and raise funding caps to align with similar programs.
Over the past decade, there has been a significant increase in acreage devoted to nut crops in the Valley. Given the highly visible particulate emissions associated with nut harvesting, the agricultural community, in partnership with the District and USDA-NRCS, has been working to develop and promote a variety of best practices and new technologies to reduce harvest-related particulate emissions.
The enhancements will increase the maximum incentive level from 50 percent to 75 percent per unit. The funding cap for new low-dust harvesters would increase to $250,000, up from the original $150,000 per piece of equipment. Lastly, to improve efficiency and emissions reductions by integrating multiple processes in a single pass (such as shaking and sweeping), the current $150,000 per-unit funding cap for new dual-purpose combination harvesting units is being eliminated. Currently, $12.9 million in funding is available to implement these enhancements.
“Today’s action underscores the Valley Air District’s commitment to reducing PM emissions from nut harvesting while supporting growers with increased incentives for cleaner equipment,” Todd DeYoung, Director of Grants & Incentives, said on Thursday. “This enhancement builds on a successful program that has already achieved significant reductions in PM, NOx, and diesel emissions. These updates will further improve air quality and advance sustainable agricultural practices in the San Joaquin Valley.”
Since its inception, the District’s Low-Dust Nut Harvester Replacement Program has allocated $23.6 million in federal, state and local funding, supporting the replacement of 270 older, high-polluting agricultural harvesters with new, significantly cleaner units, resulting in the reduction of more than 1,665 tons of fugitive PM, 423 tons of NOx and 32 tons of diesel combustion PM.
Interested applicants can get started at valleyair.org/harvester or call the District at 559-230-5800 with any questions.
The Valley Air District covers eight counties including San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced, Madera, Fresno, Kings, Tulare and San Joaquin Valley air basin portions of Kern. For additional information about the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District, visit www.valleyair.org or call 559-230-6000.
