California compost dealers worry about ending of diesel
California diesel trucks compost sustainability climate transportation California Farm Bureau
The long trek was a routine journey. But new trucking rules may make such deliveries harder in the future, with major impacts for agriculture.
Compost is essential to organic farming, which is built on the “foundation that you’re working with biological processes rather than chemical processes,” said Paul Muller, a partner of Full Belly Farm, which grows organic nuts, fruits, grains and vegetables.
“We rely on it,” said Javier Zamora, owner of JSM Organics in Monterey County.
Compost suppliers worry a state rule phasing out diesel trucks could raise prices for the soil amendment and make it less affordable for small farms. Photo/Caleb Hampton
In addition to benefiting farms, compost is central to efforts by California lawmakers to combat climate change. It plays a role in the state’s goal to divert 75% of organic waste away from landfills, and in the Healthy Soils Program, which helps subsidize farming practices that sequester carbon in the ground, including composting.
But compost suppliers say they worry a separate climate-focused policy could make it harder for some farms to afford compost deliveries. In April, the California Air Resources Board approved a landmark rule banning the sale of new diesel trucks by 2036 and requiring most trucks operating in the state be zero-emission vehicles by 2042.
Farm and trucking groups have cautioned that insufficient charging infrastructure for electric trucks could leave fresh produce or livestock stranded in rural areas. As the diesel phaseout approaches, agricultural supply companies are also raising concerns.
Clayton Lynch, sales and marketing representative for Agra Marketing, a Butte County company that ships bioproducts such as compost and manure to farms across the state, said he believes the limited carrying capacity of electric trucks will drive up the cost of these inexpensive but heavy materials, impacting agriculture and especially organic farms.
“The value of the products themselves is very low, so the predominant cost is associated with transportation,” Lynch said.
Batteries for electric heavy-duty trucks can weigh up to 16,000 pounds. Due to federal restrictions on how much a rig can weigh, the battery could reduce what a truck can haul by around a third, requiring more trips to move the same freight.
“It would raise the cost exponentially for all of these products that a lot of people who are environmentally conscientious are usually very excited to utilize,” Lynch said. “It’s a huge concern.”
Every year, Muller of Full Belly Farm applies 10 to 15 tons of compost to each of his 400 acres. “We do watch compost costs,” he said, though next to other inputs, he added, it is one of many “escalating costs that are out of our control.”
M
uller estimated compost shipments account for roughly 2% of the farm’s annual budget.
When looking at organic farming costs, “there are bigger fish to fry,” said Zamora, who farms 200 acres and also spends about 2% of his budget on compost.
But for smaller farms, a markup on compost could put the soil amendment out of reach.
At Farmboy Organics, a 3-acre farm in Yolo County, Andrew and Eric Walker have held off on using compost due to its cost, though they say they plan to order some this winter.
“It’s expensive,” Andrew said. He projected a few truckloads would make compost “one of our larger expenses.”
For organic farms—and state agencies hoping to incentivize the use of compost— disruptions to the trucking sector could pose challenges.
“It’s difficult to see agriculture’s transition away from diesel,” Muller said. “It’s going to be complicated.”