Grazing, Tilling Law Extended to Fight Dust

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously extended an ordinance regulating sheep grazing and the tilling of soil in the Antelope Valley, to combat residents’ problems with blowing dust.

The ordinance, initially approved in March on a trial basis and extended indefinitely on Tuesday, requires farmers and shepherds to obtain a permit from the county agricultural commissioner’s office before plowing or allowing their sheep to graze, said Dawson Oppenheimer, press deputy for Supervisor Mike Antonovich, who proposed the ordinance.

In recent years, blowing dust has caused problems for homeowners, who must cover their pools, seal windows and weatherproof their homes to keep the dust out. In February, a thick, mile-high dirt cloud contributed to 40 car crashes in the Antelope Valley, authorities said. The dust also has aggravated health problems for some residents.

After four months, the ordinance already has helped reduce the dust problem, officials said.

“We stopped the grazing in those sensitive areas, which has stopped that area from eroding and contributing to the problem,” county Deputy Agriculture Director Cato Fiksdal said.

Under the ordinance, county employees examine the area proposed for grazing before determining if sheep will be allowed to feed there, Fiksdal said.

The ordinance affects farmers “after they quit farming” for the season, Fiksdal said.

“What we’re trying to do is make sure they don’t abandon the fields and leave them in such a position that when the wind blows, it’s going to blow the dust off.”

But tilling and grazing are only part of the dust problem, Fiksdal said.

“The whole thing’s been exacerbated by the fact that farming has been reduced significantly, which leaves an awful lot of abandoned farmland,” Fiksdal said.

Dry areas of open land caused by the drought also have contributed to the dust problem, Fiksdal said.

In some cases, developers clearing vegetation for housing projects might be required to apply for a permit under the dust ordinance, officials said.

Since March, a task force has been examining the issue and attempting to find an overall solution. Among the solutions the task force has considered is replanting vacant land with native vegetation.