View from the Cab: One Relieved Farmer

Excuse me while I breathe a sigh of relief. I am glad the corn is in the ground as are some of the soybeans.

As I write this, the threat of heavy rainfall looms for Central Illinois so we will see if any replanting is in the future. I have often heard the phrase “you can’t grow it in the bag” which refers to the seeds farmers purchase to plant in their fields. On one hand, you should be out planting when the weather is fit, but on the other, extreme weather could occur at any time and you might regret rushing a decision.

Either way, the 2017 spring planting season is off to a nice start for local farmers. A lot of progress was made in a short amount of time, which is not surprising with today’s large equipment. In a little over a week’s time, some farmers were completely done planting both corn and beans while others had barely started to plant soybeans. It all depends on who you are, where you are located and how much you farm.

It appears the local ag retailers have been keeping pretty busy too. As I visited the local fertilizer dealer the other day, I noticed non-stop traffic including chemical trucks, pull behind tanks, fertilizer spreaders and sprayers – not to mention forklifts loaded with seed pallets. Hats off to these guys and gals who also work insane hours during the spring.

Apparently, there have been some complaints from people on Facebook about sprayers and other large pieces of farm equipment traveling on the roads. Motorists need to remember farmers are trying to do their job and must use the roads to travel from field to field. It won’t hurt you to be a few minutes late to your destination. Groups, such as the Illinois Farm Bureau, urge motorists to slow down and be patient. Keep a safe distance from the farm equipment so the farmer can see you and be prepared to yield to wide equipment.

You can complain about farmers taking up the roads all you want, but just remember we don’t go to your workplace and follow you around yelling and wishing you would speed up. Just a few points worth considering as we all try to make it through the season safely with no accidents.

The View from the Cab blog is powered each week by Petersen Motors of Fairbury.