Urban Sprawl

Urban Sprawl

David Sparks Ph.D.
David Sparks Ph.D.
As the fall harvest season gets underway, farmers and drivers may need to be reminded of the hazards that exist in fields and on roadways. Both farmers and drivers will need to adjust to having large, slow-moving agricultural equipment on rural highways and county roads once more.  During planting season, farmers work long hours. While some farmers may have already started planting, others whose crops are insured under the Federal Crop Insurance Program follow specific deadlines for getting corn and soybeans into the ground. The dates are provided by the United States Department of Agriculture’s Risk Management Agency (RMA). They vary by state and county.

 

Eric Vanasdale, senior loss control representative for COUNTRY Financial®: “Farmers are anxious to get back into their fields and get the job done. They’re working on tight deadlines, but they need to remember to take care of themselves and others in the process,” said. “Accidents happen when you’re tired, distracted and rushed. Farmers need to be on alert all hours of the day in order to keep themselves and other drivers safe.”At the Big D Ranch Grain Elevator in Ada County, Idaho, the grain harvest is rolling in truck, by truck, by lots of trucks.

 

It makes for a busy roadway on 10 Mile where, along with farming, urban sprawl is in high gear. And with that comes road closures and obstacles adding to road safety concerns and delays. Farmer Neil Durant says road closures during harvest time can be detrimental to agriculture.

 

“So we've been working with our commissioners and trying to find a way that we can play happy medium between developers and ourselves. But they've come to realize that ag does still play an important role in Ada County and in closing down roads during harvest time is detrimental to a lot of not just ourselves as farmers, but other farmers around the area.” Surrounded on all sides by urban sprawl, the Big D ranch adapts well to change and is here on 10 Mile for the long haul.

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