Slow Moving Farm Equipment

From the Starke County Sheriff's Office

Please remember our farmers are working in the fields and farm equipment traffic will increase on the backroads and highways in Starke County.

Slow Down for Farm Equipment on Roadways

Posted on April 27, 2017
Author Michael Gallenberger, WKVI

Spring planting season is now underway, and that means motorists will see an increase in farm equipment on local roadways.

Purdue Extension Agricultural Educator Phil Woolery says if you see farm implements on the road, slow down. “They often travel slow, and when you’re driving at 60 down a road, you can go up pretty fast,” he said. “Keeping your space if you’re going to try and pass it gives you better visibility, and make sure you have enough space to get around the equipment. Also, if you’re coming towards the equipment, be aware too that someone might be trying to pass it. So just kind of keep aware of the farm equipment, and slow down and take your time, so we don’t have an accident.”

Woolery says farmers are off to a good start with this year’s planting. “Things have finally dried down and warmed up, and so last week things really started to pick up, doing a lot of fertilization before planting. We’ve had some planting done, just starting last week, in a lot of the fields, mainly corn but I believe there’s some beans planted as well. And mint planting kind of wrapped up this past week, too.”

He says rain forecast for the coming days might slow down progress for a while, but that’s to be expected.

INDOT Encourages Safety with Farm Equipment on Roadways

Published: April 22, 2015
By: Tyler Maffitt, WKVI

Area motorists may have noticed farm implements on the roadways.

That’s because planting season is in full swing. Farmers often use local roads to navigate between fields. According to the Indiana Department of Transportation, this means car drivers should be more alert.

Farm implements typically move slowly while utilizing roads to access fields and farms. INDOT Spokesperson Matt Deitchley says motorists can pass the farm implements, but safe speeds are encouraged.

“We understand people can get frustrated just as they do sometimes behind our snowplows in the winter months,” says Deitchley. “Just understand that they’re out there doing their job as best as possible. They’re not there to block your way. So you want to make sure you do this in a safe pattern to go around them.”

If a vehicle is stuck behind farm equipment moving 20 miles per hour for two miles, a total of six minutes is lost.

Farm vehicles are expected to have proper signage, including orange triangular signs on the rear of the vehicles. INDOT says farmers often move to the right as a courtesy to other motorists on the roads.

Deitchley says despite encouraging safety, there are hundreds of accidents each year involving farm equipment.

“On average, in Indiana, the last couple of years: per year, there have been about 300 accidents across the state between agricultural equipment and vehicles so it’s a real issue that you want to be aware of,” says Deitchley

INDOT says slowing down once farm implements are spotted on the roads can also help prevent potentially dangerous situations.