During its board meeting on October 24, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) adopted updated guidelines to the Funding Agricultural Replacement Measures for Emission Reductions (FARMER) program to expand eligibility for farmers and provide flexibility for approving projects in a more streamlined manner.
FARMER provides grant funds through local air districts for farmers to replace older ag equipment with cleaner engines, including equipment such as: tractors, heavy-duty trucks, harvesters, ag pumps, and other equipment to lower emissions and improve air quality.
Ag Council’s Membership and Public Policy Coordinator, Jacob DeFant, provided comments in support of the FARMER program and the proposed updates to its guidelines. “The FARMER program is one of the most cost-effective and efficient programs to help achieve the state’s air quality standards with a proven track record of replacing over 10,000 pieces of equipment,” DeFant said. “The program has also garnered strong support from ag groups, air quality districts, and environmental organizations alike, contributing to its success.”
In a related move, given the broad support for the FARMER program, CARB declined to directly regulate on-farm equipment at this time.
Notable updates to the FARMER program guidelines include:
– Expanded eligibility for used zero emission equipment for small farmers.
– Project funding up to the date of compliance.
– Required purchase order for replacement equipment within one year of project approval.
– 90-day deadline to salvage/destroy replaced equipment.
– Increased horsepower for replacement equipment (35 percent increase in horsepower or 25 horsepower increase, whichever is greater).
– Added flexibility to allow for replacement equipment that varies from the baseline equipment type.
Since its inception, the FARMER program has allocated over $760 million to fund over 10,000 projects which have reduced carbon dioxide emissions from farm equipment by 389,000 tons — making it one of the state’s most efficient emissions reductions programs per dollar.
Ag Council has received positive feedback from members about the FARMER program since its creation, and our team will continue to support it in legislative and regulatory arenas, including advocating for additional funding in future state budgets.
Click HERE to learn more about CARB’s updates to the FARMER program.