COLUSA COUNTY, CA (MPG) – The Colusa County Board of Supervisors were again unanimous this year in authorizing the county’s participation in the FARMER’s program for 2023-24, but the county will receive far less funding than in previous years for new agriculture equipment.
The Funding Agriculture Replacement Measures for Emission Reduction (FARMER) program provides grant funding for Air Pollution Control Districts to help farmers replace aging and high-polluting tractors and agriculture engines with new, cleaner models.
However, the California Air Resources Board allocated just $75 million to air pollution districts for the next funding cycle, down from $215 million last year, said Casey Ryan, who administers the Colusa County program.
Ryan said the grants allow farmers to replace old tractors, harvesters, and just about any old gas or diesel-powered equipment used in local agriculture operations.
“We are trying to reduce emissions from our ag equipment,” Ryan said.
The district has participated in the program since 2017-18, expending $5 million in grant funding on 90 projects. The county also participates in the Carl Moyer Program, which helps farmers replace old agriculture pump engines.
Of the 90 FARMER projects, 10 were funded in the amount of $338,453 from the Alternative Assistant Replacement Program, which Colusa County developed in 2018-19 to fund equipment for small agriculture operations, using the county’s unspent FARMERS administration revenue.
Colusa County’s tentative allocation for Round 5 is $479.300, down from $1.1 million allocated for the 2022-23 FARMERS program.
Farmers participating in the program will be required to pay for 40 percent of the new equipment costs. The program provides for 60 percent, Ryan said.
Projects will be approved based on the engine model year of the equipment, the horsepower, engine tier, and hours of use. H