Effort To Clear Valley Air Earns National Award

Contacts:
Brian Ziegler (559) 252-2191, ex. 117
Anita Brown (530) 792-5644

FRESNO, Calif., October 11, 2007—Acting Agriculture Secretary Chuck Conner announced today that John Beyer, state air quality coordinator with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Fresno, Calif., is the recipient of the prestigious Secretary’s 2007 Department of Agriculture Honor Award for protecting and enhancing the nation’s natural resources base and environment. The announcement was made during a ceremony at U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Beyer was cited for his work in successfully pioneering agricultural air quality conservation measures in California that offer technical and policy models to USDA conservationists nationwide. "John Beyer was called upon to do something new for USDA-NRCS: find ways for California’s agricultural community to improve air quality in a way that would satisfy federal and state regulators and was acceptable to producers," said USDA-NRCS State Conservationist Ed Burton.

"John has been the USDA-NRCS representative in a collaborative process that achieved compliance for one type of air pollutant (PM-10) and is engaged in doing so for others," added Burton. "Because California was one of the first states to regulate agricultural emissions, John's collaborative work has paved the way with partnerships, models, and conservation practices now being adopted across the Nation."

Beyer's efforts have expanded air quality conservation programs provided by USDA-NRCS. The agency now offers technical assistance controlling wind erosion and odors, reducing rural road dust, converting agricultural diesel engines to cleaner models, increasing the use of conservation tillage, reducing smoke from orchards by chipping rather than burning, and using high-tech chemical sprayers that reduce the release of volatile organic compounds. His work has resulted in 6,000 farmers implementing conservation measures that removed 13,000 tons of emissions from the sky. His work also meant cleaner air in a geographic location that reports one of the highest incidences of respiratory disease in the U.S.

The USDA Honor Awards are given to a select few employees each year for notable contributions to the Department's mission, the Nation, or public service. "I’d like to thank all of the NRCS employees and our many agriculture partners in the San Joaquin Valley," Beyer said. "I couldn’t have accomplished what I did without their help." A resident of Madera, Calif., Beyer is retiring this month after working for USDA-NRCS since 1971.

< Back to News Releases