October has officially begun, and the harvest season is in full swing. As a young farmer I don’t recall living through an early fall season quite like the one we are experiencing this year. Cool and dry is usually not the normal weather pattern we experience this early in the fall, but after consulting with many of experienced mentor farmers, this is actually the way it should be.
Looking ahead the cool and dry pattern looks to remain and frost is on its way. Some parts of the county actually received some light frost last week but nothing to hurt the later planted crops. Some of the double crop soybeans and later planted corn could be in danger of heavier frost later. With frost conditions in the forecast, I always like to remind producers that might have pastures or hay fields with summer annual forages such as Sudan grass, or sorghum Sudan cross hybrids to wait 7-10 day after a frost to graze or when the plant dries out, this also goes for pastures with heavy pockets of Johnsongrass. These types of plants will release a toxin called prussic acid which is a cyanogenic compound or otherwise known as cyanide that can be lethal to livestock when consumed.
Row crop Harvest has officially begun across the county with corn and soybean yields coming in at average yields. Corn yields have been reported at 155 -220 bushels per acre and soybean yields averaging 58-65 bushels per acre. Soybeans are actually starting to get drier than expected with moisture levels reaching 12% midday, but stems are remaining green. With the beginning of harvest season means more large equipment will be on the road also many livestock producers are taking advantage of the dry weather to apply manure to freshly harvested fields. I want to touch a little bit on roadway safety and keeping the roads safe for both farmer and the general public.
In today’s world of agriculture there are less farmers farming more acreage, this means transporting large equipment down the roadway is essential for efficient food production. Agriculture equipment is becoming larger and wider to meet the needs of producers needing to plant and harvest more crops in less time. According to the last Agriculture Statistics survey in 2021 the average number of farmers equaled 2,012,050 farmers and the farm size in the U.S. was 445 acres. Back in my father’s day as a beginning farmer in 1983 there were 2,379,000 farmers and the average size of the U.S farm was 430 acres. With less farmers having to farm more land the use of rural roads and highways is a must to get from one farm to another. With this comes the hazard of large equipment on narrow roads with increasing amounts of traffic as rural area populations continue to grow. In 2020 the Ohio Department of Public Safety reported 380 farm equipment and motor vehicle incidents. Here are some considerations for both farmer and roadway motorist.
· Be alert- distracted driving was one of the number one causes of accidents between motorist and farm equipment. Farm equipment moves at slow paces and it can take less than seven seconds to travel 400 ft at 55 mph. For farmers this is important too as we increase the amount of technology in the cab of the tractor or combine it is very easy to become distracted and lose sight of the road.
· Watch for signals- Most of the newer farm equipment is lit up like a Christmas tree but there are many producers still using older farm equipment with less lights and signals. Be aware of farmers using hand signals on smaller equipment and keep a safe distance so the farmer can see you as well. Larger farm equipment has many blind spots and it can be a challenge to see behind them.
· Be patient – Farmers try to share the road as much as possible but there are times where this is just not possible even on straight stretches of road. This can be due to mailboxes, guard rails, electric poles and other obstructions. There are times even when there is a single yellow line when farmers cannot move over enough to pass, be patient and wait for a safe time to pass. For farmers if there are areas to pull off and allow traffic to pass do so, remember everyone has a life to live and we all want to get somewhere as safe as possible.
· Keep the road clean- for producers hauling manure or if field conditions get wet (pray not) manure and mud on the road can cause hazards to motorist safety. Make sure to keep manure hauling equipment in good mechanical shape, free of leaks and avoid over filling and potentially spilling on the road. If mud or manure accumulates on roads potentially creating a hazard to drivers have some safety cones or signals placed on the road while removing the material with a loader or scraper. Communicate with local highway department and state highway petrol if accidental manure spill occurs. (https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-4511.74)
In summary, fall harvest season is busy sometimes overwhelming for farmers. I recommend motorists plan ahead before hitting the roadways. We all know if we need to go to the city to plan for slow traffic, to compensate we leave early to make it to our destination on time, have the same plan for country driving during harvest. For farmers remember to be thoughtful to other motorist and stay alert, maintaining proper lighting and signage is important as well. Last but not least, both parties stay calm and enjoy the ride and bring in another bountiful harvest!
Ag Educator Words of encouragement – Then He said to his disciples,” The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few Therefore pray to the lord of the harvest the he may send out workers into his harvested field” – Mathew 9:37-38