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TULARE – Though official numbers won’tbe available until next week, attendance on Wednesday appeared heavy as thousands of visitors once again flocked to the “world’s largest farm show” for Day 2 of the 2022 World Ag Expo. The day was also filled with 90-plus school groups visiting the exhibits.

Near the entrance to the main gate was an exhibit showcasing the combined efforts of SoCal Gas, OPAL Fuels, and Young’s Commercial Transfer (YCT) of Porterville, in decarbonizing California by transitioning YCT’s fleet of heavy-duty trucks to operate on Renewable Natural Gas (RNG.)

“ We just added another 30 (trucks) and now have 110 total,” said Hannah Brumley, brand ambassador at YCT. “Our goal is to convert the entire fleet by 2024.”

And each new near-zero emissions natural gas truck that replaces a diesel truck is the equivalent of taking 57 passenger cars off the road, said Manny Alarcon, SoCalGas Clean Transportation Program Manager.

In California, transportation accounts for more than 41 percent of greenhouse gas emissions and 80 percent of smog-forming pollution in the state, with heavy-duty trucks among the largest polluters.

“ It’s our way of giving back to the community in this way,” Alarcon said. “No smog. No emissions.”

The ultra, low-emissions trucks are fueled at stations built and owned and operated by OPAL Fuels across the San Joaquin Valley, said Steve Breeze, Western Region sales director with TruStar Energy, an OPAL Fuels company which is a leading producer and distributor of RNG which will be delivered via SoCalGas’ pipeline network.

Additional RNG refueling stations that use SoCalGas’ pipeline network have also come online in the central San Joaquin Valley within the past 18 months, providing critical alternatives in the refueling network along Highway 99.

“ We build the infrastructure for these trucks,” said Breeze. “We have a turnkey fuel solvent for fleets that want to see the economical and environmental benefits of Renewable Natural Gas.”

RNG is not a fossil fuel, but a lower-carbon fuel, produced by capturing methane emissions from organic waste, including landfill sites and dairy farms. When used in transportation end-uses in place of diesel fuel, RNG can provide significant annual operating cost savings and help reduce the carbon footprint of heavy-duty fleets.

“ It’s very competitive. Based on volume, the average customer is cutting their fuel bill in half,” said Breeze. “And the fuel is 100 percent renewable natural gas.”

Currently, YCT has three RNG fueling stations, including a “really big one” in Tipton, with plans on building more, Brumley said.

“ Young’s took the leap,” Alarcon said. “And since they only haul agriculture commodity stuff, they can feel good about the crop-to-table feeding.”

And with the YCT trucks running more than 18 million miles every year, it makes them uniquely positioned to affect the air quality problem in California, said Scott Daniel, president of YCT.

“ As the first link in the California food chain, we look forward to leading our AG Partners into a new sustainable future,” Daniel said.

YCT trucks will be equipped with Cummins Westport 12-liter engines and automatic transmission and will have a driving range of up to 600 miles. In addition, YCT trucks have tank supplements in the form of a saddle back, allowing them to have a 650 gallon fuel capacity, said Alarcon.

“ We are proud to help enable YCT’s effort to decarbonize their fleet while simultaneously driving cost savings through adoption of ultra-low carbon renewable natural gas,” said Scott Edelbach, executive vice president of sustainable transportation fuels at OPAL Fuels in a released statement. “While the U.S. transportation sector is one of the largest emitters of CO2, RNG is proof that there does not have to be a tradeoff between doing what’s best for your business and doing what’s best for the planet.”

Not far away from the exhibit were a couple of World Ag Expo’s “Top 10 New Product winners” including the Drip line Clip Plug by Rain Bird – a small lightweight item that can save growers water and money.

“ This is the least expensive Top 10 item and yet the most efficient. And it saves water,” said Mike Thekkumthottam with Rain Bird – a company based out of Azusa. “We believe accurate and consistent irrigation is a major factor in crop yield.”

Committed to the “intelligent use of water,” Rainbird is a leading provider of water-saving irrigation products and services globally and has more than 450 pantents with innovative solutions for agriculture, golf, commercial and residential landscape applications.

Their latest - the clip plug - features a unique ratchet-closing mechanism when applied to drip lines to ensure there’s a tight fit that prevents leaks, said agriculture director Greg Palumbo as he demonstrated how the clip plugs work on drip lines with emitters.

The clip plugs are used along the path of the driplines where there’s no need for water to come out – saving water.

A grower who has to limit their number of crops due to limited water availability or access, can now plant double as many crops, Palumbo said, by using the clip plugs and saving the water that would have been lost in the areas where watering isn’t needed.

And the clip is reusable. Once tree roots grow and requires more water, some of the clips in the area can be removed or moved around.

In the past, C-clamps were used, he said.

“ We took it and made improvements and this one design can be used on all drip line diameters,” Palumbo said. “One clip for any drip line. You just ratchet down where (watering) is not needed. And as the trees grow and mature, you can move it away from the emitters.”

The product just launched recently, Palumbo said, but already many people have been interested in it.

“ We originally started using it in Mexico for the avocados and it worked so well, we brought it here. With all the water challenges facing us, this is a great decision,” Palumbo said. “And the clip plugs can also be used for garden landscaping.”

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