Cooperative Living October 2021 - 34

FarmLife | by Adam Culler, Virginia Farm Bureau Federation
Patience is
essential in
Be Alert,
Slow Down
Know how to share the roadways
with farm equipment
T
he arrival of fall signals more
than just changing leaves and
cooler weather. It ushers in
busier roadways, as Virginia farmers
harvest their fall crops of corn, cotton,
peanuts and soybeans. Some may
also be planting winter wheat.
Agricultural vehicles like choppers,
combines and tractors outfitted with
additional harvesting equipment, are
common fixtures on rural roads during
fall. As harvest activities increase, so
does the need to move heavy
equipment from one field to another.
The size of this equipment, which
often occupies multiple lanes and
moves at slow speeds, presents certain
hazards for farmers and nearby
motorists.
To address these hazards, the
Virginia Farm Bureau Federation
Farm Safety Advisory Committee is
continuing to educate drivers on how
to share the road properly with farming
equipment.
PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE
Driving safely amid farming
equipment starts with patience, says
Jeremy Moyer, whose family operates
multigenerational Oakmulgee Dairy
Farm in Amelia County.
driving amid farm
equipment.
He serves on the VFBF safety
committee and as president of Amelia
County Farm Bureau.
" We're just trying to run our
business and get home safe at the
end of the day like everyone else, "
he says. " We want to get from field
to field as quickly as possible, but we
need to err on the side of safety, rather
than rushing and causing an accident.
We just ask drivers to be patient. "
Moyer explained that drivers of
passenger vehicles don't always
understand how slowly farming
equipment moves, which increases
the risk of speed-related collisions.
Passenger vehicles traveling 55 mph
can close 300 feet on a slow-moving
vehicle traveling around 15 mph in
just five seconds, so motorists need
to exercise extra caution.
Virginia law requires that all vehicles
that typically travel slower than 25 mph
display a triangular, slow-moving
vehicle emblem on the rear of the
vehicle when using public roads. The
emblems warn drivers to begin slowing
down as soon as they see the SMV sign.
Many farmers also use flashing
amber lights, reflective decals and
escort vehicles to alert approaching
drivers to the farm equipment's
presence.
When approaching a slow-moving
farm vehicle from behind, drivers
should never pass unless they're
lawfully allowed to do so. Double
32 | Cooperative Living | October 2021
yellow lines usually
indicate a blind
curve ahead
or a hill that
obstructs the
view of the road.
'BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT'
Dana Fisher, chairman of the VFBF
Farm Safety Advisory Committee, notes
farmers do their best to minimize their
impact on traffic by traveling when
local roads aren't busy. However,
weather often dictates when farmers
can harvest their crops, so some must
venture out during peak travel hours.
" Give farmers the benefit of the
doubt, " Fisher advises. " They don't
want be holding up traffic any more
than they have to. Most of them know
their routes well, and if there's a place
for them to pull off safely to get out
of the way, they're going to do so. "
Paying close attention to the road,
and allowing extra time to react to
slow-moving vehicles that could be
present, " is a huge part of driving
safely " on rural roads, he says.
" While it may take an extra minute
or two to get where you're going
because you have to slow down or wait
for that piece of equipment to pull off,
those couple minutes allow everyone
to get home safely, " Fisher explains.
" A little patience and grace to let our
farmers do what they need to get done
goes a long way. " 
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Cooperative Living October 2021

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