(Marc Lutz/News-Sentinel)

Fumes on the farm

Lodi growers, livestock to deal with smoke if it returns

For much of last week, smoke laid thick across the valley, irritating eyes, making it difficult to breathe and cutting down on visibility. With over 1,100 wildfires burning throughout California — the closest blazing in Placer County — the potential for Lodi to become trapped in another haze is more than possible.

For farmers, there is no choice but to work outside. Their crops, their livestock and their laborers are forced to deal with the smoke the best that they can.

Javier Toscano, who grows a variety of crops — including tomatoes, cucumbers, beets, carrots, peppers, onions and melons — said his produce seems unaffected by the smoke, but his real concern was with his workers.

"If it happens again, we're just going to have to protect ourselves, not be out too long," Toscano said. "Workers have to take it slower, especially when they have to work a little harder."

Toscano, who sells the vegetables at the Downtown Lodi Farmers Market, said that he dealt with a headache during the smoky days, but he wasn't sure if it was due to the smoke.

"When I was driving to the Farmers Market, I had to shut (the windows) and circulate the air," Toscano said.

Other crops, such as cherries, were reportedly unaffected by the smoke as well, according to Scott Hudson, the agricultural commissioner for San Joaquin County.

"If you get enough smoke, that cuts down on the light the plants get, but anything short term like we've had shouldn't be a problem," Hudson said. He said he couldn't remember having as much smoke as the area encountered last week for such an extended period of time.

Unlike other crops, grapes possibly absorbed the smoke, according to Mark Chandler, the executive director for the Lodi-Woodbridge Winegrape Commission.

"If we are subjected to extended exposure to the smoke, it is possible that the grapes and the wine will reflect the smoky flavor," Chandler said. Nothing can be done to prevent the smoke from settling on vineyards and other crops, he said.

Another effect of the far-flung wildfire smoke is reduced sunlight, causing cooler-than-normal temperatures, Chandler pointed out.

"It's not negative, it's just an effect."

Other concerns for farmers is livestock. In most cases, animals live outside, making it impossible to avoid the smoke.

Case Van Steyn, president of the Western United Dairyman and owner of a dairy in Galt, pointed out that there wasn't much that could be done to stop the smoke, so it just had to be tolerated.

Van Steyn and his farm hands made sure to take it easy with their daily workload, and to take care of the dairy cows as best as they could.

"My assumption is — and I'm not a veterinarian — is that since the cows are not exercising or doing anything strenuous, the effect is negligible," Van Steyn said. If the smoke returns, Van Steyn says he and his workers would have to adjust and make do until it passed. "I just have to make sure (the cows) get their nutritional needs met. If the temperatures go up, we have to keep them cool."

Cows aren't the only one that can become a concern under hazy skies. Poultry has to be closely monitored as well, as Dr. Bruce Charleton of the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory System, Turlock Branch pointed out.

Most poultry houses are built to modern specifications and commercial poultry is raised in environmentally controlled facilities, according to Charleton. Some of the industry, such as turkeys, are raised in open-sided houses where the air is not filtered.

However, the amount of smoke the valley encountered last week wasn't enough to be detrimental to the animals, and it if came back it would have to be far worse, Charleton pointed out.

"You probably wouldn't notice anything, and we haven't had any submission increase because of the smoke," Charleton said.

Contact Business Editor Marc Lutz at marcl@lodinews.com.