Burnt Crop Field Stock Image

Often called field burning, this technique is used to clear the land of any existing crop residue as well as kill weeds and weed seeds. Field burning is less expensive than most other methods such as herbicides or tillage, but because it does produce smoke and other fire-related pollutants, its use is not popular in agricultural areas bounded by residential housing. In the United States, field burning is a legislative and regulatory issue at both the federal and state levels of government.