We chop corn silage using a harvester. Once the wagon is filled, it’s transported back to our farm.
As we head into harvest season, we are grateful for the patience of our neighbors and community. Because of your patience on the road, our team can arrive home to their families at the end of a long day.
Here are a few tips that you can use to help keep our drivers safe, along with what we’re doing to keep the roadways accident-free for both of us.
Here’s how you can practice safe-driving during harvest:
- Add extra time to your commute. If you travel on a county high-way or country road, most likely you’ll end up behind an implement this fall. Until it is safe (and legal) to pass, keep a respectable following distance.
- Pass legally. Even if the farmer/operator waves you on to pass, it is illegal to pass farm equipment in a no-passing zone…no matter how slow they’re going.
- Pass safely. Before passing an implement, survey the area. Did you check for turn signals? If the operator will be turning soon, it is not safe to pass. Also, ensure that the road is wide enough for you to pass and there are no obstacles (bridges, mailboxes, road signs, etc).
- Avoid unnecessary distractions. Always keep your eyes on the road. If you need to talk on your cell phone, use a hands-free device. Wondering what to do if you can’t scroll through your phone or text? Check out some of these great podcasts to learn more agriculture and farming!
Here is what we as farmers do to keep you and us safe:
- We do our best to avoid moving equipment at sunset or sunrise. Our field crews put in long hours during harvest, but we try to do the bulk of our transport during hours of high visibility. However, as the old adage goes, we do have to “make (or chop) hay (and corn) while the sun shines.
- We use the “slow-moving” emblems.
Photo courtesy of Farm Bureau Insurance.
All of our tractors and implements are outfitted with “slow-moving”, reflective triangles. If you see one of our implements on the road without this sign, please call the office at 920-388-3333.
- We stay alert! We respect that we share the road with motorist, you’ve got families to get home to, too! If we notice a train behind us, and there is no availability to pass on the left, we’ll pull over (using the appropriate signals) to allow the vehicles to pass.
Together, we can keep our roads safe this harvest season!