Hail cannon issue lingers

The issue of hail cannons -- devices that fire thunderous sonic booms said to break up ice formation in clouds before it can fall and damage crops -- gets another airing Wednesday at the Kings County Agricultural Advisory Committee.

The committee, whose members come from different sectors of the $1.7 billion-a-year ag economy, will get an update on what progress the Kings County Agricultural Commissioner's Office has made on finding a solution.

The issue came to a head in a contentious advisory committee meeting on March 20, 2008.

Kings County fruit tree owners, part of a $75 million-a-year industry, defended the cannons as a cost-effective way to protect their crops from costly hail damage.

Neighbors, many farmers themselves, said the sound is intolerable and must be reduced.

On April 1, the Kings County Board of Supervisors directed planners, health officials and ag officials to come up with a way to control the devices and their ear-splitting shock waves.

No decision has been made yet, according to Tim Niswander, agricultural commissioner.

Niswander said last spring wasn't good timing, and that the summer harvest got in the way of progressing toward some kind of a noise-reducing strategy that will satisfy unhappy neighbors.

Niswander's office is giving the hail cannon owners an opportunity to present some solutions.

Niswander said he's pressing the growers to come up with a plan by the end of January because "the clock is ticking toward hail season."

The threat of hail storms usually begins in early March and extends through April.

Niswander said that the message to growers is that if they don't act on their own, the county may require restrictions, and they may be tough.

But he emphasized that he doesn't want to take a hard regulatory approach.

At the same time, he reiterated that doing nothing before hail season hits isn't an option.

"I'm a little anxious about it because of the time of year," he said.

One Kingsburg-area hail cannon owner, Jeff Spomer, said he's not sure what approach to take.

Spomer's nearest neighbor, Hal Workman, said last year that the booms during storm season were harming his family's health and making it impossible to stay in the house.

Workman and several others who complained to the advisory committee last year couldn't be reached Monday for comment.

Spomer said he moved the cannon further away and built up a sound barrier of sand-filled peach crates between it and Workman's residence.

Currently, the crates aren't up because the cannon isn't operating, he said.

County officials and growers will meet in a couple of weeks to discuss options, according to Spomer.

No date has been set for the meeting, Niswander said.

Want to go?

l The Kings County Agricultural Advisory Committee meets at noon Wednesday in the Ag Multi-Purpose Room, 680 N. Campus Drive, Hanford.

l For more information, contact Mark Sherman at 582-3211, Ext. 2675

The reporter can be reached at 583-2432