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Pahokee, Florida is known to be a predominantly African American, poor, rural town. In this town is where Florida sugar cane farmers set fire to their fields before the harvest so that they spend less when transporting their products. In result the fires produce a heavy smoke that surrounds the communities. It also will leaves burnt flakes of the product throughout their town. Many of the community members call this "black snow" as it looks like black snow is falling from the sky. Although this may be beneficial towards these farmers it leaves drastic impacts on those individuals living around the area. They are many health consequences that are a result of this burning.

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For residents of the Glades, a string of poor, predominantly African American rural towns dotting the southern shore of Florida's Lake Okeechobee, the beginning of the annual sugar cane harvest in October means the arrival of "black snow."

"You'd hate to come down here when it's snowing," said Kaniyah Patterson, an asthmatic 12-year-old who lives with her mother and grandmother in a housing project surrounded by several large sugar cane fields in the Palm Beach County community of Pahokee.

"That black stuff irritates me," Kaniyah said, sighing. "Sometimes I can't breathe."

The "snow" is an airborne byproduct of the disputed practice of burning sugar fields before harvests. Kaniyah says it "stuffs up" her nose and stains her clothes. At times, she says, the poor air quality makes it difficult to keep up with her friends when playing outside.

For generations, Florida's sugar cane farmers have legally set fire to their fields prior to the harvest, leaving only the cane, a practice that reduces transportation costs because they ship the cane without the surrounding vegetation.

Credit Florida State Archives

In the Glades community alone, home to more than 40,000 people, cane growers burned more than 1.5 million acres (2 million hectares) of sugar cane between 2008 and 2018 - a land mass about the size of Delaware - according to state data.

In several major sugar-producing countries such as Brazil, the practice is being phased out due to health concerns. The fires can produce sooty plumes of smoke that hover over the surrounding communities and dust the area with burnt flakes of plant matter.

Research in Florida on the potential health consequences of sugar cane burning has produced conflicting results: A 2015 study funded by the U.S. Education Department concludes that residents of areas such as the Glades that are frequently exposed to large burns experience a greater amount of "respiratory distress." The Environmental Protection Agency has said residents are exposed to hazardous air pollutants on par with some urban areas.

But an analysis last year by the American Lung Association and data compiled by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection both concluded that air quality in Palm Beach County was up to code.

A class-action lawsuit filed in June against nearly a dozen sugar companies in the region - which leads the nation in sugar production - claims the burns reduce property values and compromise air quality with toxic carcinogens. The two other states where sugar is grown are Texas and Louisiana. In Florida, 75% of sugar is grown in the Glades region of Palm Beach County. The rest is harvested in the adjacent counties of Hendry, Glades and Martin.

Patrick Ferguson, who is leading an anti-burn campaign for the Sierra Club, called the matter a lopsided "environmental justice issue" that disproportionately affects poor communities of color.

U.S. Sugar, one of the companies listed in the lawsuit, stands by the practice of burning. It contends that its methods are safe, closely monitored and highly regulated, and that the overall well-being of its workers and the greater community is "vitally important" to the company.

Opponents of burning argue cleaner, safer alternatives exist. The Sierra Club and local activists are urging growers to switch to a practice known as green harvesting, a burn-free process that is already the industry standard in Brazil. They argue that instead of burning, sugar producers could repurpose plant waste into mulch, bioplastics or a clean energy source. In Florida, the method is sometimes employed by local growers at times when they are not able to burn.

But a full switch to green harvesting could mean a massive and costly overhaul of production infrastructure for sugar producers. U.S. Sugar, for one, has yet to find a large-scale use for the massive amounts of leaf material left over after a harvest, company spokesman Judy Sanchez said.

In the past, the company has said those who oppose sugar field burning are attacking the very industry that supports the local economy.

Activist Kina Phillips, 44, a mother of three from South Bay whose husband works for one of the local sugar companies, said that is not the case.

"We don't want the sugar mill to close down," Phillips said. "Why would I take food out of my own mouth?"

But Phillips said she believes green harvesting would be healthier while potentially bringing more jobs to the poor area.

She calls the burning season a "battle," especially for her 5-year-old grandson Jamal Tillman, whose immune system suffers and asthma worsens. Philips declared that it's time for locals to "step up and stop turning a blind eye" to a powerful industry that she says is poisoning her community.

Florida law requires sugar companies to take into account wind directions at the start of a burn to avoid populated areas, but residents say that because their communities are so close to the sugar crops, they get the smoke anyway.

Last month, Florida Department of Agriculture Commissioner Nicole "Nikki" Fried announced that while sugar cane burning would remain legal, she would implement a series of rule changes, including working with producers to encourage green harvesting and potentially shortening burn seasons.

In Pahokee, Kaniyah Patterson's 64-year-old grandmother Annie Young, who also has asthma, said she is doubtful anything will change.

"I got to deal with it," she said. "I don't have another place to stay."

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Sugar Field Burning Plagues Poor Florida Towns With Soot

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For residents of the Glades, a string of poor, predominantly African American rural towns dotting the southern shore of Florida's Lake Okeechobee, the beginning of the annual sugar cane harvest in October means the arrival of "black snow."

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This video shows what those citizens mean by "black snow". Flakes of the sugar cane that was burned falls from the sky which is where the name "black snow" comes from. Those farmers who contribute to this smoke are contributing to the slow violence with it. When they are burning these sugar canes they are only thinking about themselves and how they can produce more money. The affects of the smoke aren't sudden, it will have long lasting effects on them. Some of those health consequences include cancer, and lung problems. Children are starting to feel the effects at such an early age too.

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Stop Sugar Field Burning Now - Pahokee Black Snow 12/12/21 | Facebook | By Stop Sugar Field Burning Now | Black snow raining down in the Glades from the daily toxic sugarcane burning permits approved in the Glades by Ag Commissioner Nikki Fried's Florida...

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147 views, 0 likes, 0 loves, 3 comments, 5 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Stop Sugar Field Burning Now: Black snow raining down in the Glades from the daily toxic sugarcane burning permits...

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The image above shows where the sugar cane burnings are taking place. The black spotted areas are where the sugar cane fields are as well as the burnings. Those are also just the burns for just that day. This photo goes to show how much of their area is being affected. There are many overlaps to these burnings which creates the big smoke affect. Individuals living in this area are affected by large amounts of smoke. These sugar field burnings may be in more isolated areas but this area is mainly poor and African-American based. These aren't rich, white areas where they can easily move or afford treatment to take care of themselves.

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The photo above shows both the percentages of what races are located in Pahokee as well as their income level. You can clearly see that it is mainly black residents in the community, along with Hispanics, with little to no white residents. These sugar cane farm burnings are clearly targeting those minority communities. You can also see from this image the income that comes through. Pahokee is one of the lowest with just above 25k. Not only are they targeting minorities but the poor as well. They have to struggle with their income and probably don't have the funds to provide the correct health treatment or even a way out like moving.

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There are many health consequences associated with the sugar cane burning. In this article researchers at FSU studied the real health affects from this. The first thing they found was that those residents living next to the field were 10 times more likely to die than those from outside areas. They also discovered that sugarcane fires resulted in 5,100 metric tons of the 2.5 micron particles annually. They found that these numbers are quite concerning as cars release 6,100 metric tons. Those particles affect individuals lungs and it goes to show how much affect that these sugar cane burnings have on these communities. There are several ways around this smoke but they still continue to burn down the fields knowing these health impacts.

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A new study from a Florida State University team estimates that sugarcane fires in South Florida emit harmful particulate matter in quantities comparable to motor vehicles and is a factor in mortality rates across the region.

Their work is published in Environmental Health Perspectives, a peer-reviewed journal published by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, part of the National Institutes of Health.

"Over the years, there have been numerous complaints from citizens that live within and next to these fields about frequent ashfall, poor air quality, and negative health consequences from the smoke," said Holly Nowell, an FSU postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science and the study's lead author. "While previous studies have shown the fires have a negative impact on air quality, none have quantified mortality impacts."

Nowell and her colleagues estimate that across South Florida, one to six deaths per year are associated with exposure to fine particles in sugarcane smoke.

Across Florida, more than 2 million acres are burned each year through prescribed burns. Most of that is to mitigate wildfire risk and maintain habitats for certain species. However, about 400,000 acres of sugarcane fields also are burned before harvest to remove non-sugar vegetation on the sugarcane stalk.

Most of the sugarcane burning in Florida is clustered around the south shore of Lake Okeechobee in the cities of Belle Glade, Clewiston and Pahokee. Sugar farming is a major economic driver for the area, employing more than 14,000 people and generating about $800 million in revenue annually.

Burning this vegetation produces smoke with unhealthful particles that are less than 2.5 microns in diameter and can be inhaled deep into the lungs. Previous studies have shown that these particles are associated with health problems such as asthma, lung cancer and cardiovascular issues.

The team found mortality rates from this exposure almost 10 times higher for residents living next to the fields as opposed to outside of the immediate area.

The research team used measurements from multiple sources including satellite sensors, ground-based monitoring and a 3D computer model of smoke dispersion to estimate burning-related exposures. They also created estimates of daily sugarcane fire emissions based on burn permits issued by the state of Florida and examined demographic and health impact data to look at causes of mortality.

They found that sugarcane fires resulted in 5,100 metric tons of these small 2.5-micron particles annually. In comparison, Florida's on-road motor vehicles emit about 6,100 metric tons of these particles.

Researchers pointed out that though these numbers are concerning, the air quality in the region does comply with current U.S. air quality standards as do the particle pollution totals.

"We began this work because we wanted to better understand the public issues and controversy surrounding sugarcane fires and smoke in Florida," said Associate Professor of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science Christopher Holmes. "On the one hand, some residents in the sugarcane region around Lake Okeechobee are concerned about asthma and respiratory health from the sugarcane smoke. On the other hand, the sugarcane industry and its advocates have pointed to measurements showing that the average air particle pollution is within federal guidelines."

Holmes and Nowell said this research was a stepping stone to a larger conversation about health and air quality impacts of sugarcane burning and that they hope their work will simply be used as environmental agencies and lawmakers continue to examine the practice and create guidelines for burning.

"Whether or not burning of sugarcane should continue is a hotly debated topic with people on both sides," Nowell said. ""We want growers, the public and government to make decisions using the best information about the effects of burning."

Other researchers on this study are former FSU graduate student Charles Wirks, FSU Associate Professor of Public Health Chris Uejio, Maria Val Martin from University of Sheffield, and Aaron van Donkelaar and Randall Martin from Washington University in St. Louis.

The study was supported by the NASA Atmospheric Composition Modeling and Analysis Program.

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FSU researchers find link between health outcomes and smoke from sugarcane fires - Florida State University News

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A new study from a Florida State University team estimates that sugarcane fires in South Florida emit harmful particulate matter in quantities comparable to motor vehicles and is a factor in mortality rates across the region. Their work is published in Environmental Health Perspectives, a peer-reviewed journal published by the National Institute of Environmental Health [...]

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Throughout this article, reporter Sandy Tolan interviews several people on their experience with the smoke. Philips is one to speak out on how they are experiencing pure racism. He explains how many kids have been moving here to be put straight onto asthma machines and when speaking out about it they're shot down. It's clear mainly black communities are being affected by this smoke and there isn't anything being done about it after speaking out plenty of times. Some have even lost their job for speaking out like Walkes. He spoke out about the injustice and environmental issues, where powerful people complained resulting in him getting fired.

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Living on Earth: Burning Sugarcane Pollutes Communities of Color

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Some Florida sugarcane growers near the Everglades still use the archaic method of burning fields to remove the tops and leaves before harvesting the sweet cane stalks. Nearby residents say the smoke and ash promote adverse health effects. As reporter Sandy Tolan explains, communities of color nearb…

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Throughout this video we see 12 year old Kaniyah Patterson discuss the affects of the "black snow" on herself. Kaniyah already suffers with asthma and further explains how when the "black stuff" comes it makes it very difficult to breathe. She then talks about how it stuffs her nose up as well as stains her clothes. She even makes remarks on how its becoming difficult to hang out with friends and have a social life due to trying to avoid being outside. Not only is sugar cane field burning affecting individuals physically but socially as well. Many citizens avoid from going outside because of how hard it is to breathe. Someone at 12 years old shouldn't have to be dealing with this and should have the freedom to hang out with their friends outside.

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Sugar field burning plagues poor Florida towns with soot

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The image above is one of the posters associated with the Stop the Burn Campaign. This poster is presented all over other campaigns as well to promote individuals to go green and stop burning sugar field farms. The use of colors throughout the image show the two sides to it, one side of the burning where it's dark/gloomy where the go green side promotes a healthier lifestyle. I think this image is a good representation of what their society can look like if these sugar cane burnings were to stop. Using this image across the nation can help others who aren't affected by the problem to pitch in so hopefully changes can be made.

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One campaign that has been putting in efforts to stop the sugar field burning is the Stop the Burn Campaign. The campaign is for environmental justice where they replace locations where sugar fields were burned with burn-free green harvesting. Green harvesting is different to regular harvesting as instead of the sugar cane releasing smoke when burned they use those leaves and top to create more sources of income for the growers. Those apart of the campaign are ones who have been directly affected by the sugar field burning. It started in 2015 and the end goal is to stop sugar field burning overall.

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The video above shows a protest that occurred in 2019. While watching the video you can notice how those representing are predominantly black. One saying that he mentions in the video that stuck with me is where one of the commissioner discusses how her number one priority is to keep Florida safe and healthy. He goes onto say how actions speak so much louder than words. Many officials are claiming to wanting to put in efforts to help these communities but nothing is being done. These protests are a good way to encourage others to get involved and to fully express what is happening to them. Those directly getting affected by the smoke are the best people to speak out as they are the only ones who understand what is happening.

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While citizens in Pahokee, Florida have to suffer through the "black snow" from the sugar cane burning they are now also facing affects from Covid-19. From just the smoke that is released from the burning many people have become hospitalized for several respiratory issues. The smoke leaves behind various lung problems, and those with asthma have even more trouble with it. Now with Covid-19 being added it makes these problems even worse. Those affected with Covid and exposed to the smoke have a higher chance of death than those who don't have Covid. Covid-19 is another disease that is damaging to the lungs so combined with the smoke has no good outcome.

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From October to around April, farmers light fires in the sugarcane fields to strip the plant down to the stalk and make it easier to harvest. Long-time residents who live near where sugarcane burning takes place have been worried about health hazards for a long time - they say now, with the COVID-19 pandemic, they're even more concerned about exposure to the smoke.

Skill Brown was born and raised in Belle Glade. The 38-year-old truck driver has five daughters. He pulled over on the side of the road to tell WLRN what it's like during the burning season.

"So you could be sitting at any random moment and all of sudden these little black flakes of ash just start raining down on you, messing up the paint on your car," Brown said.

"It's an awful smell. And it's very strong. But being from Belle Glade, I've become accustomed to it. But my fiance, she's not from Belle Glade. So we ride randomly and she says 'Oh my god, it stinks.' and I don't even smell it. When it's black snowing, you gotta ride with your windows up or you'll have a problem inside your car - people who like their windows down inside their house - the black snow is very disrespectful," Brown said.
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That's what people who live in the Glades area call the ash falling from the sky - black snow. And during this pandemic, health experts say it's important to be able to keep your windows open.

Earlier this year, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended temporarily banning agriculture burning. But health concerns about sugarcane burning have been going on for years.

In September, the Palm Beach County school board held a highly publicized meeting, mostly to discuss leadership issues surrounding the reopening of school campuses.

It was heated. The public agenda topics quickly shifted to sugarcane burning in the rural Glades area: Clewiston, Pahokee, South Bay, and Belle Glade. About a dozen recorded messages also urged the school district to consider student health during the pre-harvest sugarcane burning season, citing racial disparities and class differences.

A man named David Rae was one of several people to speak in person. He said, "sugarcane burning is a perfect example of environmental racism."

"So following the CDC guidelines, advising that no burns go on, especially during the times of COVID, I am asking the board, as you go into this and talk and you relate to all these people on the health advisory boards, look into the effect of this, put some pressure on [Florida Agriculture Commissioner] Nikki Fried, which is the commissioner in charge of this, and U.S. Sugar," Rae said.

"You all are leasing land to them," Rae said, referring to land near Rosenwald Elementary School in South Bay.

Sugarcane burning was a non-agenda item on the meeting's schedule. The school board did not respond to the concerns that day.

The Palm Beach County school district receives up to $12,000 for leasing land to U.S. Sugar. The district spokesperson told WLRN the agreement hasn't changed.
The history and the health impacts
In 2008, several students at Rosenwald Elementary School were hospitalized for respiratory issues after a sugarcane burn near the school. An investigation, published by Grist earlier this year, reported on the U.S. Sugar harvests that happen about 100 yards from the school.

U.S Sugar is based in Clewiston - it's been around for 90 years, and it's the largest producer of cane sugar in the country. Sugarcane burning produces what's called particulate matter or PM 2.5. It's one among many hazardous pollutants produced by the burns.

Dr. Cheryl Holder is an internal medicine specialist and associate professor at Florida International University. She's worried about those particles being inhaled by children.

"Well, all the lung problems that you could get with chronic exposure, COPD (Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), worsening lungs function and acutely, those who are asthmatic, can be triggered by all the smoke," Holder said.

Dr. Holder was on her way out of the Jackson Memorial AAC West Outpatient clinic when she spoke to WLRN.

"And the thing with asthma, with children, which a lot of folks don't realize, is the days lost from school. And dealing with a chronic illness means their chances of being successful has been diminished by something that they didn't create."

People demanding change in the Glades area want the sugar industry to stop burning their fields and find another way to prep the fields for harvesting. The term "green harvesting" comes up often; it's a way of removing the sugarcane leaves without burning.

"When you look at it overall, and we have green harvesting available, we can improve the overall health outcomes of our entire population by just stopping an archaic process," Holder said.

Green harvesting is already being done in some circumstances - but much less than burning.

The CDC's recommendation cited the health risks of both agricultural burning and backyard burning - and suggested that communities consider temporary bans on this method of getting rid of waste from harvesting.
The industry and state's response
U.S. Sugar says, despite cries for a change, it's following Environmental Protection Agency guidelines.

Judy Sanchez is U.S. Sugar's spokesperson. She said she believes the CDC's recommendation to ban agricultural burning this year does not apply to the type of burning the company's doing.

"Well, I believe that they were probably referring to backyard burning. I don't believe they were referring to this type of burning that is very short, very controlled and monitored very safely," Sanchez said.

Sanchez points to a network of air monitoring stations set up by the state and federal governments to measure pollutants like PM 2.5, the small smoke particles in the air during sugarcane burning season.

"There are actual, on the ground, EPA and Florida [Department of Environmental Protection] approved air quality monitors that operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 12 months a year. The PM 2.5 levels are lower than they are in suburban West Palm Beach," Sanchez said.

"And they are well within these standards for good air quality."

According to the Florida DEP, the air quality is generally better in the Glades area than the suburbs. But a spokesperson for the agency would not respond to questions about the air quality during burning season specifically.

Rae, the speaker who brought up racial inequities at the school board meeting, brought up that exact concern. And Brown, who drives his work truck back and forth to West Palm Beach, says local burn authorizations tend to protect wealthier areas to the east of the rural Glades region.

Brown is referring to the four geographical burn authorization zones from a 1992 Florida Division of Forestry report. The zones stretched from Wellington in the eastern Zone 1 to Belle Glade in Zone 4, the western part of the county, where a lot of the burns take place.

In the report, due to "a substantial number of nuisance complaints," the Florida Department of Agriculture restricted the pre-harvest sugarcane burning when the smoke entered Zone 1.

Wellington is one of the wealthiest areas in Palm Beach County - and it's mostly white. According to U.S. Census figures, Belle Glade is predominantly Black and low-income. In 2019, the median household income in Belle Glade was just under $25,000 with a per capita income of $14,018. Palm Beach County's median household income is over $63,000 with per capita income at $40,000.

Franco Ripple, spokesperson for Agriculture Commissioner Fried, said the office redrew zone maps to "lessen potential smoke impact across all communities."

Ripple said the commissioner announced a series of changes to the state's burning program in October 2019 and August 2020, "including the first major changes to sugarcane burning in 30 years."

"Besides adding new factors including air quality into burn authorizations, as well as new bans on burning when smoke dispersion is low, the changes include redrawn zone maps," Ripple told WLRN.

"The two additional zones (for a total now of six zones) particularly take into account population growth in Zone 4, in which the population has increased by 67 percent in the past 30 years."

Ripple says Wellington remains in Zone 1 in the re-aligned zone map, which takes effect Jan. 1, 2021.

Sanchez, the spokesperson for U.S. Sugar, believes the racial and socio-economic concerns brought up at the school board meeting are invalidated by government data.

"People have tried to portray this as a racial issue ... to try to make a case that the Glades is somehow being treated in a different manner because of the makeup or the socio-economic status flies in the face of the actual on the ground air quality monitoring," Sanchez said.
'There is something wrong with this process'
A Harvard study earlier this year looked at air pollution and people with COVID-19. It found that infected people exposed to the kind of pollution from sugarcane burning are more likely to die from the virus than patients who aren't exposed.

In June, residents of Belle Glade filed a class action lawsuit. It names two of the largest sugar companies in the country - U.S. Sugar and Florida Crystals.

The lawsuit argues cane burning exposes residents to pollution from toxic smoke. And they're asking the court to order the growers to stop the burning. Skill Brown is worried about his daughters who attend school in the Glades area.

"Obviously if you're breathing in ash, it gotta be something wrong with it. And the fact that, when they're burning cane, if the wind is blowing too much toward the east, they don't burn the cane cause they can't let the smoke go into the Wellington area," Brown said.

"And if they're protecting the citizens of Wellington, obviously the sugar industry itself knows there is something wrong with this process."

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Belle Glade's Falling 'Black Snow' Is An Even Greater Concern As The COVID-19 Pandemic Continues

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People who live in Belle Glade, and surrounding rural areas where sugarcane burning takes place, have been worried about health hazards for a long time - they say now, with the pandemic, they're even more concerned about exposure to the smoke.

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Many activists have found a solution to the burning problem which is green harvesting. Green harvesting is where the sugarcane is harvested without burning it, and a residue remains on the soils surface. By not burning these farms, there would be an increase in soil carbon, and conserve soil water. Also, no burning will take place so no smoke will be released into communities. There may be some delayed growth on the sugar cane but I think farmers should be able to deal with that in order to save peoples lives. This to me is a win-win situation as farmers are still able to produce their crops while those living in surrounding areas don't have to deal with the long term consequences.

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Hardev Sandhu, Maninder Singh, Robert Gilbert, Kelly Morgan, Ronald Rice, Leslie Baucum, James Shine Jr., and Mike Irey

The production systems for sugarcane (a complex hybrid of Saccharum spp.) include either green cane or burnt cane harvesting operations. In burnt cane harvesting, sugarcane fields are set on fire in order to burn off leafy material before harvesting in order to reduce transportation costs to the mill, improve harvesting efficiencies, and enhance sugar recoveries at the mill. In green cane harvesting, sugarcane is harvested without burning, and a thick leafy residue (commonly called "trash blanket" or trash) remains on the soil surface.

Sugarcane trash blanket has both negative and positive effects on the emergence and growth of the next sugarcane crop (i.e., ratoon crop). Common negative effects are lower soil temperatures (Oliveira et al. 2001) that delay regrowth of ratoon cane and put young regrowth at risk during subfreezing weather events. Trash blanket also interferes with tillage operations and fertilizer applications. In contrast, positive effects of mulches formed by unburned trash include increased soil carbon, nutrient conservation, reduced weed growth (Samuels and Lopes 1952), and conserved soil water (Ball-Coelho et al. 1993).

Sugarcane in Florida is typically harvested with burnt cane mechanical harvesting. Nonetheless, there is a growing interest to better understand the effects of trash blanket on microclimate conditions for sugarcane growing on both muck (organic soil with >80% organic matter) and sand (mineral soil with <2% organic matter) soils of Florida. A three-year study conducted on muck and sand in the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) determined that the effects of harvest method on soil (at 3/4-inch and 4-inch depths) and air temperatures (at 4-inch height from the soil surface) could be different in muck versus sand (Sandhu et al. 2013).

Trash (Harvest Residue)

The amount of trash declined during the multi-year crop cycle, whereby plant cane had the greatest trash followed by progressively less trash for the first ratoon and second ratoon crops (Fig. 1). As expected, green cane harvesting produced much more trash than burnt cane harvesting. The average amount of green cane trash on muck soil (7.7 tons/acre) was comparatively greater than sand (7.2 t/acre), which is attributed to higher sugarcane yields on muck soils. Burning prior to harvest did not completely remove all leafy material and still left some trash on the ground.

Figure 1.
Credit: Sandhu et al. (2013)

Soil Temperature during Pre-Harvest Burning

Increases in soil temperature during pre-harvest burning was different in muck soil than sand, and also varied with soil depth. Increase in soil temperature during burning was higher in shallow (3/4inch) than deep (4 inch) soil (Fig. 2). Also, the increase in soil temperature during burning was higher in sand (10°F-14°F) than in muck soils (5°F-8°F) at 3/4-inch soil depth. At 4-inch soil depth, soil temperatures increased by less than 3°F in muck and by 3°F-7°F in sand soil. This increase indicates that pre-harvest burning of sugarcane may have greater effect on soil microorganisms near the soil surface in sand than in muck soils.

Figure 2.
Credit: Sandhu et al. (2013)

Air Temperature

Understanding air temperature differences between green cane and burnt cane harvesting systems is important when assessing microclimate effects on sugarcane regrowth. Air temperatures were recorded at 4 inches above the soil surface to determine if trash had an effect on young emerging sugarcane plant canopies during freezing or near-freezing temperatures. For cold nights where air temperatures were near or below freezing, minimum air temperatures were lower in green cane than in burnt cane plots. Across these different chilly nights, the green cane harvest plots recorded average air temperatures that were colder by 2.2°F in muck and by 2.8°F in sand. These consistent observations indicate that the presence of thick trash blanket with green cane harvest results in colder (and potentially frost-damaging) air temperatures surrounding young sugarcane canopies. Further research needs to be done to determine the effects of different depths of trash layer (created by partially removing the trash) on air temperature near the plant canopy.

Lengths of freeze events ranged from as short as one hour to as long as 12 hours. Air temperatures in green and burnt cane were similar when ambient temperatures were above 40°F, but diverged as ambient temperatures dropped below 35°F. This pattern was consistent across multiple freeze events and soil types, suggesting that the effect of trash on canopy air temperatures is noticeable only when ambient air temperatures are close to freezing (i.e., less than 35°F).

Diurnal Soil Temperature

During early-season growth (April), there was greater diurnal (24-hour) variation in soil temperature (6-inch depth) in both soil types (muck, Fig 3a; sand, Fig. 3c) for burnt cane harvesting. In April, maximum daily soil temperatures were considerably lower in green cane harvest than in burnt cane. However, minimum daily soil temperature differences between green cane and burnt cane treatments were small. These diurnal temperature trends were still evident during the late-growth season (August), but differences between burnt and green cane treatments for diurnal maximum and minimum soil temperatures were appreciably reduced. The insulating effects of crop residues observed during early-season growth in green cane harvest plots were later minimized during late-season growth because of trash decomposition and shading of soil surface by the larger sugarcane crop canopy.

Figure 3.
Credit: Sandhu et al. (2013)

In summary, the soil temperature increases that occurred with burning were higher in sand soil than in muck, and this effect dampened with soil depth. Transient (short-lived) soil temperature increases that occurred during the field burning events were smaller than the naturally occurring diurnal soil temperature swings that occurred throughout the growing season. This observation indicates that burn events likely have minimal impacts on soil microflora and microfauna. Young shoots emerging through the green cane harvest trash blanket during winter months will encounter colder air temperatures. This consistent microclimate effect will either delay growth or, in some cases, lead to frost damage, which translates to a loss in seasonal yield potential. Crop canopy damage by frost is more likely to occur with green cane harvest than with traditional burnt cane harvest. Therefore, switching from traditional burnt cane harvest to green cane harvest may have trade-off value for the growers. In the long term, green cane harvest may add organic matter in the soil (important in sand) and reduce soil loss (important in muck). However, there may be some short-term yield losses through delayed growth and frost damage in young plants. The proper management of the excessive trash may reduce the negative effects of trash blanket on sugarcane growth and yield. The ongoing research on trash management includes the evaluation of trash incorporation into the soil through disking, through raking of trash from the row and leaving it in the inter-row space, and through partial removing of trash from the field.

References

Ball-Coelho, B., H. Tiessen, J. W. B. Stewart, I. H. Salcedo, and E. V. S. B. Sampaio. 1993. "Residue management effects on sugarcane yield and soil properties in Northeastern Brazil." Agron. J. 85: 1004-1008.

Oliveira, J. C. M., L. C. Timm, T. T. Tominga, F. A. M. Cassaro, K. Reichardt, O. O. S. Bacchi, D. Dourado-Neto, and G. M. de S. Camara. 2001. "Soil temperature in a sugar-cane crop as a function of the management system." Plant Soil. 230: 61-66.

Samuels, G., and M. A. L. Lopes. 1952. "Influence of handling sugar cane trash on yields and properties." Soil Sci. 74: 207-215.

Sandhu, H. S., R. A. Gilbert, G. Kingston, J. F. Subiros, K. Morgan, R. W. Rice, L. Baucum, J. M. Shine, Jr., and L. Davis. 2013. "Effects of sugarcane harvest method on microclimate in Florida and Costa Rica." Agr. Forest Meteorol. 177: 101-109.

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Effects of Harvest Method on Microclimate in Florida Sugarcane

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University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension outreach is a partnership between state, federal, and county governments to provide scientific knowledge and expertise to the public. The University of Florida (UF), together with Florida A&M University (FAMU), administers the Florida Cooperative Extension Service.

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In this article, Robert Mitchell discusses the laws that are being put into place in favor for the injustice. Further in the article he talks about a new bill being passed by the Florida Legislature. A bill labelled "Right to Farm" took away the rights of citizens to seek legal action from the burning as they added "particle emissions" to the list of protected farming practices. A repeal is in action to remove "particle emissions" so that those citizens are able to take legal action for the damage that has been done to them. There are some efforts being done to fix the pain they have caused to these individuals. I think this is a good start but it shouldn't stop there.

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Impact of sugarcane burning are beyond debate. Florida must force an end to the practice now to protect resident’s well-being.

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How Government Officials Have Failed Florida

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How Government Officials Have Failed Florida

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In this article, they point out how many of these government officials have failed they're community has a whole. It goes into detail how those individuals deserve better after having to suffer through toxic and racist practices of sugar field burning. They explain how state officials also failed them by ignoring everything that is happening to them. They also speak on the propaganda being displayed and how that attacks them. By officials showing lying posters of how they aren't being affected is a straight shot at those communities. It's sad to see as there are real people suffering and some individuals seem to think it's a joke because they're not being affected.

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We Deserve Better: Stop the Burn Activists Call Out the Complicit
BELLE GLADE, FL - Today the Stop the Burn - Go Green Harvest Campaign leadership released a statement marking the beginning of the 2021-22 pre-harvest burn season that has been sent, with an accompanying video, to those current public officials named in the statement.

Statement:
On the eve of yet another pre-harvest sugar field burn season, the Stop the Burn - Go Green Campaign leadership has a message for all those in power who are callously complicit in the continuance of the outdated, toxic and racist practice of pre-harvest sugar field burning: We deserve better.
Despite recent ground-breaking and revelatory investigative reporting uncovering (1) the lengths to which the sugar industry will go to stop us from improving our lives and our community, and (2) data which further supports existing mountains of medical research from around the world substantiating the common-sense understanding that pre-harvest sugar field burning pollution is harmful, the next harvesting season is set to begin on Oct. 1. Residents in and around the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) will once again be bombarded by toxic smoke and ash that needlessly threatens their health, pocketbooks, quality of life and surrounding environment for the sake of a cheaper harvest for the multibillion-dollar Florida sugar industry. We deserve better.

Commissioner Fried's indifference to our plight is a crime. She has failed to reflect her party's work championing the rights of the disenfranchised by refusing to lift a finger to end an injustice that she alone, as Florida's commissioner of agriculture, has the power and authority to right. We deserve better.

Our local elected officials have betrayed us. They have ignored the benefits of green harvesting to our economy, public health and our children's future. Whether because of greed, fear or cowardice, they have promoted the status quo, by parroting Big Sugar propaganda, to the detriment of their constituents' lives and livelihoods. When it comes to the sugar industry, they sell us out, every time. We deserve better.

Our state lawmakers act only to further condemn us to the dangers of smoke and ash. Big Sugar gets what Big Sugar wants from the state legislature and Governor DeSantis. The passage of SB 88, the "right to harm act," this past legislative session was a case in point. We deserve better.

Our members of Congress have failed us. After hearing the truth reported by the Palm Beach Post and ProPublica, U.S. Congress members Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Lois Frankel and Ted Deutch called for additional studies and monitoring of the pollution that chokes our families. Where are their calls for an end to this outdated, toxic, racist practice? Why should we have to wait for studies when Eastern Palm Beach County residents have been protected for 30 years without that extra data? It is so very easy to call for more data - a popular move by politicians and candidates alike - which can be tossed to the press without putting their sugar industry campaign donation hush money at risk. Anything less than calling for the sugar industry to immediately begin the phase out of pre-harvest sugar field burning is simply political theater.

The Federal Sugar Program, faithfully passed by Congress, provides sugar producers with wildly high profits nearly twice, on average, as high per pound than what sugar is worth on the global market, thereby removing any incentive to modernize. Sugar growers in Thailand, Australia, Brazil, India and Zimbabwe have eschewed pre-harvest burning and have moved toward burn-free green harvesting because it is the right thing to do for its neighbors, the environment and their own long-term economic benefits. The cruel avarice of U.S. Sugar and Florida Crystals and their purchase of our nation's members of Congress combine to keep us shrouded in smoke and ash. We deserve better.

U.S. Sugar's propaganda - via billboards, mailers, paid advertisements and false narratives - is a direct attack on our communities. The use of multiple operatives acting on U.S. Sugar's behalf, under the guise of S.A.F.E. Communities, Glades Lives Matter and the Clewiston Chamber of Commerce, Lake Okeechobee Business Alliance, is a shameless, ruthless attempt to deny us a brighter future. Lies and innuendo are U.S. Sugar's most promoted product. We deserve better.

Florida Crystals has wasted its opportunity to lead the way on green harvesting and denied itself and its neighbors the benefits that come from burn-free sugar production. Their production of organic sugar in the Glades proves that they can and do green harvest (sugar cannot be labeled "organic" if burned pre-harvest) but they refuse to fully embrace it. We deserve better.

The Florida Forest Service (FFS) approves over 11,000 burn permits each year, only when the black snow won't blow toward Eastern Palm Beach County. Because burns cannot be permitted if the wind will send smoke and ash towards the eastern communities, we get smothered by it. The state's sugarcane burning program is managed solely for the profits of the sugar industry, not for any ecological welfare or wildfire prevention and completely contrary to public health, real estate values, economic growth and quality of life of all who live in and around the Everglades Agricultural Area. If burning is not allowed when smoke and ash is headed toward Eastern Palm Beach County, then it shouldn't be allowed when it blows toward Belle Glade, Clewiston, Indiantown, Ortona, Pahokee or South Bay. We deserve equal treatment and protection.

Palm Beach County Department of Health's protection of the sugar industry casts serious doubt on the integrity of the entire agency. Shielding Big Sugar from the responsibility it has to protect public health is unconscionable, a true perversion of the agency's mission, and a betrayal of public trust. Director Dr. Alina Alonso's failure to respond to or address public health issues related to the smoke and ash that pervades the Glades and beyond would be hard to believe if we were not well-versed in Big Sugar's manipulation of state agencies and their leaders. We deserve better.

The Palm Beach County School Board has sold its soul, and the welfare of its students, to Big Sugar. The black snow that can travel well over 20 miles impacts every school, school child and educator in the EAA should have long ago prompted the school board to oppose pre-harvest burning. Instead, the district adds insult to injury by leasing land adjacent to Rosenwald Elementary School in South Bay, Pahokee Middle-High School and the district's bus depot in Belle Glade, where known toxic pollutants are emitted from pre-harvest sugar field burning. Our children, teachers and school staff deserve better.

Too many in power either actively participate in or abet one of the most pronounced examples of environmental racism found in the state of Florida. We deserve better.

We call on all who have been complicit to change their course. Cease to be a part of the problem and join our demand for a phaseout of pre-harvest sugar field burning that begins with an immediately implemented 27-mile no-burn zone around impacted communities. Because we deserve better.

This statement comes not from "outsiders" but real community residents and leaders!

Signed,

Fred Brockman - Belle Glade

Sister Laura Cavanaugh - Belle Glade

Anne Haskell - Belle Glade

Brittany Ingram - Belle Glade

Elaine Lavallee - Indiantown

Catherine Martinez - West Palm Beach

Steve Messam - Belle Glade

Elena Michel - Belle Glade

Robert Mitchell - Belle Glade

Kina Phillips - South Bay

Shanique Scott - South Bay

Colin Walkes - Pahokee

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We Deserve Better: Stop the Burn Activists Call Out the Complicit

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We Deserve Better: Stop the Burn Activists Call Out the Complicit BELLE GLADE, FL - Today the Stop the Burn - Go Green Harvest Campaign leadership released a statement marking the beginning of the 2021-22 pre-harvest burn season that has been sent, with an accompanying video, to those current public officials named in the statement.

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In Boca Raton, Florida, a law firm filed a lawsuit for the polluted smoke and "black snow" whenever the sugarcane fields are burned pre-harvesting. It compiled a lot of neighboring towns, Pahokee being one of them. Judge Smith dismissed the original lawsuit of smoke causing harm to residents but left it open for those stalks being burned produces pollutants. It also goes into detail about the inequality occurring as those towns are all non-white communities. The lawsuit also includes Covid-19 and how mortality rates will increase. Hopefully, we will see results with this lawsuit. The CDC does recommend a temporary ban on opening burning to reduce smoke exposure for those with Covid-19. That is just a recommendation though, no real action is being taken place.

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Tyler Treadway Treasure Coast Newspapers

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Amended lawsuit lawsuit filed claiming pollution, health problems from sugar cane field burning

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A Boca Raton law firm has filed an amended lawsuit charging the sugar industry with blanketing communities south of…