Farmers burning wheat stubble to prepare fields for next crop
The ominous plumes of smoke area residents have seen rising into the sky will continue for the next month or so, but shouldn’t be alarming, according to the Rural/Metro Fire Department.
Spokesperson Charly McMurdie explained that each year, usually beginning in June, farmers intentionally burn off their wheat fields to prepare for the next cycle of crops.
The process, called agricultural burning, rids the land of excess straw and stubble, with many of these fields being put to flames in the months of June, July and August.
“We have already had a few farmers knock a field here and there, but this is the time of year people should expect to see fires and smoke,” McMurdie said. “It basically helps clear up the field.”
The fields in Yuma County are used year-round to grow a variety of crops, and wheat is one of the popular rotation crops grown each spring.
McMurdie said there is usually 5 to 8 inches of stubble left in the field after the wheat has been harvested, and this is what the farmers are getting rid of.
In addition to revitalizing the soil, McMurdie said field burning is also an effective way for farmers to get rid of weeds and grass.
She added that field burn days are not scheduled, they are based on the forecast, so farmers must call in each morning to check the conditions, and if weather permits, a burn permit is issued.
“Farmers don’t know whether it will be a burn day or not, so they have to call in each day,” McMurdie said.
Rural/Metro administers the controlled burn program locally through the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality and the Yuma County Health Department, issuing between 800 and 1,000 permits a year.
If the weather permits and a valid burn permit is obtained, McMurdie said farmers are allowed to burn their fields beginning one half-hour after sunrise, and the fire must be extinguished by 4 p.m.
McMurdie also advised people who have respiratory problems to take the proper precautions and stay indoors if possible on days they see smoke.
What can you tell by looking at the smoke? McMurdie said if it is thick and black, it means the fire has just started and is burning the stubble.
When the smoke turns to grey, McMurdie said the fire has basically burned off the stubble and doesn’t have anything else to burn.
If the smoke is white, McMurdie said it is an indication that water has been put on the fire and it is in the process of being put out.