Larger farm equipment allowed on Penn. roads

Jul 05, 2019

Farmers can now operate and transport equipment up to 18-feet wide

By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com

Producers in Pennsylvania will be allowed to legally transport and operate larger machinery on state roads.

Governor Tom Wolf’s US$24-million Farm Bill includes a change in state vehicle laws that will permit farm equipment up to 18-feet wide to travel on state roads. The previous restriction capped farm equipment widths at 16 feet unless the operator had an exemption permit.

The expansion reduces red tape for farmers who already have big equipment, said Richard Crone, a cash crop grower from Danville, Penn.

“Some of us are already over width anyway with some of our equipment, so this makes it legal for us to be on the roads,” he told Farms.com.

Seeing the governor increase the width limits isn’t surprising considering the size of modern equipment, Crone said.

“The largest thing I take on the road is my combine and that’s 17-and-a-half feet wide,” he said. “So, I’m already almost over the new width restriction.”

Some farmers, however, are concerned with how tight some roads in the state already are.

Putting larger farm machinery on some roads could lead to accidents if everyone isn’t driving safely, said Russell McLucas, a cash crop farmer from McConnellsburg, Penn.

“It doesn’t matter if this is a good idea or a bad idea until we get proper enforcement of laws about passing slow-moving vehicles,” he told Farms.com. “This is a real concern. Our highways are going to have a horrible time accommodating 18-foot equipment. We’ve got some roads that can only handle 14-foot machinery.”

Video: From Conventional to Regenerative: Will Groeneveld’s Journey Back to the Land

"You realize you've got a pretty finite number of years to do this. If you ever want to try something new, you better do it."

That mindset helped Will Groeneveld take a bold turn on his Alberta grain farm. A lifelong farmer, Will had never heard of regenerative agriculture until 2018, when he attended a seminar by Kevin Elmy that shifted his worldview. What began as curiosity quickly turned into a deep exploration of how biology—not just chemistry—shapes the health of our soils, crops and ecosystems.

In this video, Will candidly reflects on his family’s farming history, how the operation evolved from a traditional mixed farm to grain-only, and how the desire to improve the land pushed him to invite livestock back into the rotation—without owning a single cow.

Today, through creative partnerships and a commitment to the five principles of regenerative agriculture, Will is reintroducing diversity, building soil health and extending living roots in the ground for as much of the year as possible. Whether it’s through intercropping, zero tillage (which he’s practiced since the 1980s) or managing forage for visiting cattle, Will’s approach is a testament to continuous learning and a willingness to challenge old norms.

Will is a participant in the Regenerative Agriculture Lab (RAL), a social innovation process bringing together producers, researchers, retailers and others to co-create a resilient regenerative agriculture system in Alberta. His story highlights both the potential and humility required to farm with nature, not against it.