Arkansas Department of Agriculture reminds farmers to be mindful of burn protocols – Talk Business & Politics

Harvest is underway and shortly some farmers will use hearth to clear their harvested fields. The Arkansas Division of Agriculture is sending out a reminder of the significance of protected prescribed burning methods as a precious software in crop administration plans.

Row crop farmers use prescribed fires within the fall as a part of crop administration plans to take away stubble following the harvest of rice, soybeans, corn, and cotton. Prescribed burning is an environment friendly and economical management technique for getting ready fields for the following rising season and eliminating pests and illnesses. Burning crop residue additionally permits for no-till or reduced-till planting throughout the subsequent rising season. Smoke administration planning previous to the appliance of prescribed fires helps to scale back smoke affect on roadways, close by cities, and delicate areas like colleges, nursing houses, church buildings, and different amenities.

“We need to remind all farmers who’re utilizing prescribed burns to make a protected smoke administration plan, so we will proceed to be good neighbors to all Arkansans,” mentioned Arkansas Secretary of Agriculture Wes Ward.

Reporting the burn to the Arkansas Division of Agriculture’s Dispatch Heart supplies a full understanding to the farmer of climate circumstances, details about different burns within the space, and proximity of close by smoke delicate areas like colleges, nursing houses, and highways. A wise cellphone app to assist report row crop burns is within the last phases of improvement.

“It is crucial for farmers to follow accountable stewardship and keep away from future rules and pink tape. Prescribed hearth is a precious software and calling the hotline earlier than burning takes solely seconds. Taking these proactive measures at this time will assist us guarantee a top quality air shed for our households and communities for generations to return,” mentioned David Gairhan, Arkansas Rice Federation Chairman.

There’s a Secure Burning Guidelines which farmers full earlier than making use of prescribed hearth:

• Take additional precautions for smoke delicate areas (highways, residents, communities, and so on.)
• Report prescribed burns to the Arkansas Division of Agriculture’s Dispatch Heart
• Test to verify relative humidity is above 20%
• Test to verify wind pace is lower than 15 mph
• Make sure to observe acceptable Smoke Class Day tips