Electric agricultural equipment is quieter and more efficient than diesel- and gasoline-powered engines and produces less emissions. The County is designing a program to offer financial incentives to convert eight percent of diesel- and gasoline-powered farm equipment such as tractors, mulchers, and chainsaws to an electric equivalent by 2030. 

The County supports cleaner agricultural equipment, healthy air, and energy resilience. In order to achieve these economic and environmental benefits, the County aims to convert a total of eight percent of diesel- or gasoline-powered agricultural equipment in the unincorporated area to electric by 2030. To boost conversion of agricultural equipment to cleaner alternatives, the San Diego County Air Pollution Control District (APCD) releases a Clean Air for All Grant Campaign periodically. In 2020, 49 organizations from throughout the region received $21.3 million in grants from the Air Resources Board and the State. These grants help businesses, nonprofits, and government agencies including farmers with irrigation pumps to convert their polluting heavy machinery and equipment for electric and low carbon emission alternatives. Please see the Clean Air for All Grant Campaign website to see which projects will receive funding.

Through this campaign, funded through the statewide Funding Agricultural Replacement Measures for Emissions Reduction (FARMER) program, APCD provides financial incentives to encourage owners to replace agricultural equipment such as tractors, harvesting equipment, and irrigation pumps for cleaner alternatives. APCD aims to reach potential applicants, educate farmers about benefits, and provide technical assistance in submitting applications through implementation of this program. Five agricultural UTVs in the unincorporated area have been converted to electric since 2022.

The San Diego County Air Pollution Control District will examine applications for farm equipment conversion and select candidates that qualify for incentives. The County calculates reductions of air pollutant emissions based on the engine type, size, and model year of the engine running the diesel- or gasoline-powered farm equipment.

Farm equipment accounted for approximately 52% of greenhouse gas emissions from the agriculture sector in 2014. Converting petroleum-run equipment to cleaner fuel reduces greenhouse gas emissions and results in cleaner air. Electric equipment can also connect to the grid or use off-grid alternative/renewable energy sources, such as solar, thereby increasing energy independence. Electric farm equipment can be more fuel efficient than diesel- or gasoline-powered equipment, allow for quiet operation, reduce noise pollution, and decrease operation and maintenance costs.

Clean Air For All: Agricultural Equipment