GET THE FACTS

Floridas Farmers
Are Under Attack
Floridas farmers have been safely managing
their land for more than a century.
Now, outsiders are threatening to shut down
their farms with frivolous legal actions
against prescribed field burns that will cost
tens of thousands of jobs.

The Threat of Litigation

The Sierra Club, an extreme environmental
group from California, has made legal threats
about stopping Floridas farmers from using
carefully managed prescribed burns to prepare
their sugarcane for harvesta process that is
legal, environmentally sound and used
by government and conservationist
organizations around the world.
Delaying or impeding the harvest process could
damage the crops, which would hurt our local
economy and cost jobs. Our community cant
afford to let outsiders harm our agricultural
economy.

WHO
DO YOU
TRUST?

THE TRUTH
ABOUT CANE BURNING
AND AIR QUALITY
Floridas farmers have used pre-harvest
cane burning for nearly 100 years.
Based on extensive monitoring over
multiple decades and tracking of cane
burning during the harvest season, the
data shows our area enjoys some of the
best air quality in the state. Additionally,
cane burning complies with all state and
federal air quality standards according
to the Palm Beach County Health
Department and Florida Forest Service.

The Faulty Science Behind

the Attacks
Opponents of sugarcane farming are basing
their arguments on a study of cane burning
in Brazilwhere Brazilian sugar is heavily
subsidized and its climate, terrain and
farming practices are completely different
than Floridas. They tout Brazil and Australia
as two sugar-producing countries that do
not burn cane in certain areas and ignore
that sugarcane burning is common in most
sugarcane-producing nations, including
here in the United States where it is a safe,
tested and carefully regulated industry
practice. Air quality is not impacted.

Floridas Farmers

Sierra Club

Floridas farmers live in our community, support our local

businesses, and go to our schools and churches.

The Sierra Club is based in San Francisco, California.

Floridas farmers make a living off the land, contribute to our

economy, and create jobs for our families.

The Sierra Club lives off lawsuits that hurt the economy
and cost jobs.

Last year, Floridas farmers produced

25% of Americas sugar.

Last year, the Sierra Club filed more than 250 legal actions,
bragging that they are the nations leader in environmental
litigation. https://content.sierraclub.org/environmentallaw/about

Source: What would happen if the South Florida sugar industry disappeared?,
Treasure Coast News, Dec. 8, 2013

STAND WITH
FLORIDAS
FARMERS
Our Land,
Our Community,
Our Jobs

For decades, our community has farmed sugarcane on more than 400,000 acres across Hendry,
Glades, Martin and Palm Beach Counties.
Source: Sugarcane Growers Cooperative of Floridahttp://scgc.appletonstock.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/SCGC_brochure.pdf

Sugarcane farming supports working families in our rural economy. Today, growing and processing
sugarcane creates nearly 12,500 jobs statewide and contributes more than $3.2 billion
annually to our state economy.
Source: American Sugar Alliancehttp://sugaralliance.org/where-is-sugar-produced

STAND WITH OUR FARMERS, KNOW THE FACTS. . .

Do these fires impact air quality?
The air quality in sugarcane farming areas meets all state and
federal air quality standards, and air quality is better than in
surrounding urban counties. Decades of air monitoring have found
that prescribed burns on sugarcane fields do not negatively affect
air quality. The Palm Beach County Health Department states that
there is no data or medical evidence of increased patient visits or
respiratory health issues due to cane burning.
Why do farmers burn their sugarcane fields?
Excess leaf material on the cane stalks needs to be removed
before the crops are harvested and processed. Burning the leafy
material is the safest, most cost-effective way to remove the leafy
material. Leaving it on the moisture-rich muck soils in South Florida
would lead to root rot, fungus and other crop damage.
Why not use other techniques to remove the leafy material?
Removing the leafy material by hand would be a costly
and labor-intensive process, and the crop waste could potentially
overwhelm local landfills that are serving homes and businesses.
Additionally, trucking away so much additional material
would significantly increase fossil fuel emissions and
truck/traffic congestion.
How do farmers control the burns?
Sugarcane farmers can only burn 40- to 80-acre blocks at a time,
burns last only 15 to 20 minutes, and Florida sugarcane fields are
surrounded by canals and waterways.

When are the crops burned?

The pre-harvest burns take place during the sugarcane harvest
season between October and April every year.
How do we know the process is legal?
The Florida Forest Service, under the direction of the Florida
Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, regulates
the process for burning the sugarcane fields to ensure they are
performed safely and lawfully.
Who else uses burns to manage their land?
The National Park Service, Florida Park Service, Florida Department
of Environmental Protection, water management districts, private
landowners and environmental groups such as the Nature
Conservancy use carefully managed prescribed burns to maintain
public and private lands for conservation and recreation. Cattle
ranchers, nursery growers, and construction and development
industries also use prescribed burns. Carefully controlled burns
can reduce the risk of wildfire, which protects natural habitats,
homes and businesses.
Does the burning hurt wildlife?
Fire is a part of nature, and local wildlife has successfully
adapted to the annual harvest cycle. Animals and birds
temporarily retreat from the area during the burn and then
quickly return after the fire is out.