Minnesota Sheriffs Department Issues Important Reminder

I like to joke, no matter what time of year it is, that it’s never too early to get started saving or buying for Christmas. It’s just a cheesy way to remind folks to get prepared for an event that we know all year is coming, but at the same time we tend to act surprised in late November that is snuck up on us again.

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The same could be said for the reminder that the Benton County Sheriff’s Department posted on their “X” or Twitter account yesterday reminding people that planting season would be starting soon.

With the annual planting effort, we will see farm machinery on the roads that may slow down your commute. Again, we know this is coming as it always does this time of year, but a lot of people seem to be surprised when they encounter the farmers moving from one place to the other.

To make that point even more, last year data from the Minnesota Department of Transportation proved the problem people seem to have on the roads around farm machines. Between 2021 and 2023 there were 446 accidents involving farming equipment.

Unfortunately, 8 people died in those accidents and over 170 people sustained injuries.

One thing to keep in mind is that farm equipment is big and heavy and is not as easy to stop or even steer quickly as your personal vehicle, so we shouldn’t put them in situations where a decision like that has to be made.

The D-O-T suggests that you make yourself easy to see. Make sure you’re using your headlights, slow down when you encounter farm machinery on the road, be patient while trying to find a safe place to pass and be mindful that debris could become dislodged from the farm equipment.

In the same respect, operators of farm machinery need to make sure they’re being safe too, by using lights and flashing lights, if you’re using a vehicle that moves slower than 30 miles per hour- have the slow vehicle emblems where they can easily be seen, and whenever possible, especially at night, use a follow behind vehicle to help other motorist realize sooner they’re coming up on slow moving traffic.

Hopefully this will serve as a reminder to start being on the look-out for farmers doing what they do this time of year. We need them to help feed our families and supply jobs for people in this area.

Let’s all be safe this planting season.