For more information on how you can take advantage of the eco-friendly grant money that can be used for tractors, click here!More >>
SANTA MARIA - A new tractor is helping one Central Coast farm save money and make the air a little clean at the same time.
Your Central Coast News found how this new machine is making some big changes for the environment.
It's a 14-ton John Deer tractor that looks like your average gas-guzzling air polluter, but it's not.
This new state of the art green machine is changing the way farmers work.
Ryan Acquistapace is the farm manager at Acquistapace farms, and says he's excited to be a part of such a big change to help better the environment. "With this tractor we can expect to save a gallon an hour, so roughly 60 gallons a work week," he said.
It's the first of it's kind in Santa Maria, and thanks to the help of a clean-air grant from the Santa Barbara County air pollution control district, Acquistapace farms can reduce their carbon footprint.
Dave Van Mullem is an air pollution control officer for Santa Barbara County and says, "it's going to reduce the emissions from that old tractor by 90%. That's going to be 4 tons a year that we'll be saving in emissions."
This program helped Acquistapace farms by paying 80% of the cost.
If you are a business owner you can contact the air pollution control office for Santa Barbara County on ways to receive help to purchase your own emission reducing, energy conserving equipment.
