Planting begins; share the roads

If you’ve spent any time recently on the back roads of Fayette County, you know what it means to share the road.

It means, quite clearly, to move your sedan or SUV over to the far edge of the road and let the mammoth tractors and their implements go past. Without a doubt, they own the road. No arguing. No grumbling. Just move.
Certainly, most farmers are well aware that their machines are made for fieldwork, and are scaled way beyond what most rural roads can easily handle. Their time on the road is just a necessary intrusion as they move from the shed to the field and back again. And, as a group, they’re very courteous, unless you get abusive or take chances around their equipment.
Until now, we’ve just had tillage and anhydrous application going on. But as of this Friday, farmers will have the green light to begin planting without fear of penalty. In this area, replanting expenses may not be covered if farmers put the seed in the ground before April 6.
With this year’s fantastic weather, however, most producers have spent much of March chomping at the bit. They’re ready to go.
So, starting on Friday – assuming the weather holds – the farmers will be out in force.
Give them a break. They’ve got a job to do, and they need to borrow our roads for a short time to get to their  fields. Besides, they’ve got you significantly outsized.
And speaking of breaks, we encourage farmers to give themselves periodic breathers to stay fresh. Long hours in the cab of a tractor doing repetitive work can be mind numbing. Keep yourself – and those around you – safe by taking a break.
db