Equipment Safety For Harvest Season

Feb 25, 2019

By Katie Smith

Harvest is in full swing in Alabama. With many different pieces of equipment being used, this is the time of year that accidents can frequently happen. It is imperative that producers know the safety guidelines for all equipment.

Jimmy Jones, an Alabama Extension county coordinator in Henry County, offers a few important safety reminders for all tractor operators and farm families during harvest season.

One Seat, One Driver

This rule is important to remember for both children and adults. Children want to get on the tractor with mom or dad, but sometimes it is not safe for them to do so.

“If it has one seat, there’s only one rider,” Jones said. “Riding children or other passengers with you on a one seat tractor can result in serious injury.”

“Fields are not flat; there are many holes, ditches and bumps,” Jones said. “Kids can easily be bounced off, and they could end up under the tire. We don’t want to go there as far as how much damage that could do.”

People should not drive family members or others on a tractor unless there are two seats, with seat belts, for a passenger to be safely secured.

“It’s a very important time of year for farmers, but we want to be sure we’re looking out for kids on the farm,” Jones said.

Safety Guards Save Lives

Always make sure your safety guards are on.

“We have accidents each year where someone has taken a piece of covering off a power take-off or PTO,” Jones said. “Clothing can get wrapped in the drive shafts of the tractor, which could cause injury, so make sure all safety guards are intact before use.

Use Reflective Triangles

The red reflective triangle is a universal sign for a slow-moving vehicle.

This time of year, peanut and cotton farmers move large, wide equipment down the road. Make sure all equipment features reflective triangles so other drivers can see you.

“Pay particular attention to the slow-moving vehicle triangles that you are driving, as well as the equipment you are pulling behind your tractor,” Jones said.

Also, don’t move equipment after dark. It is a hazard to you and other drivers to pull wide equipment at night, especially without proper flashers and reflective triangles.

“I urge farmers to shut the tractors off, go home and move in daylight the next morning because most accidents happen in the dark,” Jones explained.

Do Not Push Yourself Too Far

Working long hours on hot days is tough. In a normal harvest season, it is not uncommon for farmers to miss meals and work nonstop. Taking care of your health is important and must not be ignored.

“Taking short breaks to refresh yourself and get hydrated can prevent many accidents,” Jones added. “This is heavy equipment that takes a lot of concentration to operate. A lapse in concentration can cause harm to you, someone else or the machine.”

“I’ve been a farmer for years, I already know this!”

Even experienced farmers can make mistakes. It only takes one wrong move to cause an accident. Producers should take the time to review the safety guidelines of their equipment with themselves and anyone else using the equipment to ensure proper use.

Source:aces.edu

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.