News

Light it up during harvest

A farm safety specialist says the most common traffic violation during harvest is failing to use proper lighting and markings on equipment.

Craig Anderson with Michigan Farm Bureau tells Brownfield visibility of farm equipment is required by law and is a safety concern.  “The biggest trouble is having people run into us.”  He says, “We need to protect ourselves through proper marking.”

Anderson says traffic violations can quickly add up to unnecessary costs for farmers. “We have a lot of equipment that we haven’t used for a while, we do need to go through that equipment and make sure that break lights, turn signals, the marking requirements are in fact on our vehicles—this applies to both trucks, and to our regular farm equipment, tractors, combines, grain carts.  Each one of them has specific requirements.”

Anderson, who spoke with Brownfield during the Soybean Harvest Equipment Field Day in Edwardsburg, Michigan, says trucking regulations are complicated and it’s best for farmers to know their requirements before getting on the road.  Michigan Farm Bureau and the Michigan State Police have recently published the Michigan Farmer’s Transportation Guidebook to better educate about the regulations.

AUDIO: Interview with Craig Anderson