Oregon Public Broadcasting

The news that the Environmental Protection Agency will allow agricultural field burning in Idaho this fall is bittersweet for one northern Idaho grass grower.

Correspondent Doug Nadvornick reports from Coeur d’Alene.

Wayne Meyer had had enough. After years of battling clean air groups over field burning, he was ready to give up grass farming.

Wayne Meyer: “I rented some of my land to my son-in-law and he plowed that all out last year and planted hard red spring wheat.”

But Meyer still had some young grass plants he thought would be productive so he decided to stick it out for another year.

He worked with the state and clean air groups to negotiate a compromise. It allows burning so long as the smoke doesn’t overwhelm populated areas. Farmers will have to buy permits and the state will decide when they can burn.

This brings Idaho in line with Washington and Oregon, where burning is more tightly controlled.

The new season will take effect September 2. Meyer’s not sure yet whether he’ll like it.

Wayne Meyer: “Uh, I’m gonna be looking for being able to get it done in a timely fashion. Or if they’re gonna delay, delay, delay, delay. And if they delay me until September 15th, I’m not gonna bother ‘cause it ain’t worth it anymore.”

The new agreement applies to all farm land in Idaho, except for burning on Indian land. In Idaho, most grass seed is now grown on Indian reservations.

Patty Gora from Safe Air for Everyone has battled Meyer and his colleagues for years. She’s happy with the compromise and says her Pullman-based group will continue to be a watchdog.

Patty Gora: “We’ll be out monitoring how the state is conducting burns, certainly talking with our local members to see what kinds of, any health effects they’re experiencing, and getting probably getting photographs and videos of any kinds of problem areas that might pop up.”

They may only be hanging around Meyer’s farm. He goes down the list of former colleagues who have given up.

Wayne Meyer: “Terry Jacklin is not going to farm anymore. Lynn Bodine, he gave it up three or four years ago...."

Meyer’s the last one. He says he’s 59 and battling cancer. Who knows how long he’ll stay in the game.