Prescribed Burning

Recently I drove through several farm towns and noticed that the farm fields were on fire. At first I was concerned, but as it became a reoccurring site I started to realize it was on purpose.

Once I got home I decided to do some research to figure out why these farmers would be burning their fields. I found out these burns are called “Prescribed Burns”. As seen in the picture below, the farmer creates a barrier on the exterior of the field to prevent unwanted spreading of the fire. After creating that barrier, sometimes they will water down that area as well. Farmers also have to be very cautious of the weather. If it’s a windy day, things can get out of control easily and if there is no wind then they have trouble knowing what direction the fire is heading next. So they have to find a perfect day when there is a nice, gentle wind.

Why do they do it?

There are multiple reasons why a farmer burns his fields in the beginning of the season. The main two I came across are to 1. Get rid of straw from the previous years harvest (cheaper than tilling) and 2. Add more nuetrients to the soil. This practice is more common in areas that have high clay content because it is more difficult to control water drainage in these areas.

I am not a farmer and would love to learn more about it. Leave any farming and/or gardening tips that you know about in the comments below and I’ll give you an upvote.

resources:

http://harvestpublicmedia.org/post/why-do-farmers-burn-their-fields

https://www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/crops/crop-residue-burning-program/why-do-farmers-burn.html