Tips For The Road

     The fall harvest is well under way on many farms in the area and a good harvest it appears to be by all accounts.  With this busy season and the days shortening it is a good time to stop and consider a few things.

     All the lights that are on our harvesters and tractors are very helpful for fieldwork especially for farmers who work in the field very early in the morning or come home after dark.  Traffic on local roads keeps increasing and often drivers have something other than driving on their minds.  But remember when traveling on the roads those rear field lights should be off and only flashers and caution lights should remain on during road traveling. Field lights have been known to confuse and sometimes cause a blinding effect on drivers approaching your equipment. Also, any equipment traveling 25 M.P.H. or less needs to be equipped with and displaying a “Slow Moving Vehicle” emblem (SMV) on the rear of the tractor or equipment.

     At last year’s truck clinic the New York State Troopers that instructed made some great suggestions. One suggestion was to keep a copy of the regulations in each of your truck’s glove compartments.  The copy of the regulations just might head off some confusion with the local law enforcement.  The regulation requiring tarps is one example that comes to mind.  If a farmer is hauling his agricultural produce, a tarp is not required.  However, we all know that there are times when a tarp is just plain good common sense and very neighborly of the farmer.

     You can call your extension office to get copies of the highway laws pertaining to agricultural trucks and the New York State Farm Bureau has a hyperlink off their web page that is an excellent link to these laws and regulations.  The web address for the home page of the New York State Farm Bureau is http://www.nyfb.org/.