(image: American Farm Bureau Federation)
Spring is a busy time for Minnesota farmers as they prepare fields for another crop season.
Motorists are reminded this is also a time when they should be watchful for tractors and other farm machinery as that equipment shares the roads with regular traffic.
Karen Johnson is an ag educator with the University of Minnesota Extension Service. She says that while farmers do their best to leave as much space as possible for standard vehicles, there are also times that farm equipment operators can’t avoid sudden movements…
“Farm equipment might have to move over to, or cross that center line to avoid things like mailboxes, potholes, questionable spots on the shoulder, so that might happen if you’re watching a farmer drive down the road.”
She also says that farm equipment operators may also need to take an unexpected turn to access a field or farm road…
“Field approaches are commonly not easy to spot. So if you’re not familiar with farmers turning in certain areas, that might happen, so just be very careful when you’re approaching a farmer with an implement on the roadway. They may end up turning in an area that you don’t expect.”
Johnson says spring road safety is a two-way street, and farmers need to make sure that all lights on their equipment are working properly, and that they take all the extra precautions to help with visibility.
