{"id":254583,"date":"2026-04-06T20:53:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T20:53:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/254583\/"},"modified":"2026-04-06T20:53:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T20:53:08","slug":"supervisors-to-consider-human-compost-bans-on-fresno-county-farms-and-public-land","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/254583\/","title":{"rendered":"Supervisors to Consider Human Compost Bans on Fresno County Farms and Public Land"},"content":{"rendered":"

Supervisors on Tuesday will consider a ban on the application of human compost as fertilizer on farm and public land in Fresno County.<\/p>\n

As California law opens up the usage of human compost in 2027, supervisors Garry Bredefeld and Nathan Magsig say there\u2019s insufficent science examining the impact that decomposed human bodies can have on public health.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to make sure that when it comes to organic matter, if there are pathogens present, we don\u2019t want to create a situation where there\u2019s food grown on private land that\u2019s being sold in public markets that could have contaminants in it,\u201d Magsig said.<\/p>\n

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Related Story: Family Doesn\u2019t Want \u2018Peck\u2019 Name Tied to Human Composting At …<\/a><\/p>\n

Is the Process Safe?<\/p>\n

In 2022, California legislators approved Assembly Bill 351<\/a>, which opened up human composting throughout the state by 2027. The legislation flew through the state Legislature without a single vote in opposition. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed it into law in September 2022.<\/p>\n

KQED reported<\/a> in 2024 that the bill\u2019s author, then-Assemblymember Cristina Garcia, D-Bell Gardens, wanted an alternative to cremation and burial.<\/p>\n

Before the law, Californians who wanted decomposition would have to go to states such as Washington, where it is legal, and then have their remains transported home.<\/p>\n

The matter caught widespread attention locally when the San Joaquin River Parkway and Conservation Trust<\/a> had human compost delivered to Sumner Peck Ranch and spread on the soil. The trust\u2019s decision drew vocal objections from Bredefeld, the San Joaquin River Conservancy, and the Peck family.<\/p>\n

Proponents of human composting say it gives people an environmentally conscious method for disposal after death. Washington-based Earth Funerals told GV Wire in an email that the process takes about 30 days.<\/p>\n

Basically, the company wraps up the body and places it in a vessel along with other organic material to speed up decomposition.<\/p>\n

As microbes break everything down, the body reaches temperatures of 131 to ensure pathogens are destroyed. After the process is complete, medical implants or devices are removed. The soil is tested for contaminants, and what\u2019s left is about a cubic yard of soil.<\/p>\n

Families take home a portion of that soil and the remainder goes to conservancies such as those at the San Joaquin River.<\/p>\n

Related Story: Human Composting on San Joaquin River Grows a Fresno Political Fight<\/a><\/p>\n

Law Allows Local Decision-Making<\/p>\n

California law allows local governments to decide about using human compost. Bredefeld told GV Wire he wants to make it known the county opposes using the material.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a lot that is still unknown about human compost,\u201d he said. \u201cWho even knew about this until it was discovered they were using it by the river?\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Supervisors on Tuesday will consider a ban on the application of human compost as fertilizer on farm and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":254584,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[112,114,113],"class_list":{"0":"post-254583","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fresno","8":"tag-fresno","9":"tag-fresno-headlines","10":"tag-fresno-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/254583","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=254583"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/254583\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/254584"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=254583"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=254583"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=254583"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}