Safety on the Farm During Covid-19
Now is the time to be aware of the need to limit exposure and risks related to COVID-19 for you and everyone who lives and works on your farm. 
As always, it is critical to practice biosecurity for the safety of animals and the public. It is now critical to also consider ways to limit person-to-person contact, congregate in settings of no more than ten people, and maintain social distance of six feet. What does that look like on your farm?   
  •  Encourage your members to take steps now to develop a farm plan for this virus, and to communicate that plan on a regular basis with all who live and work on their farm. This situation is changing daily, so we also encourage repeated conversations over the coming weeks. Penn State Extension has created a document to help farms develop plans. This resource can be found here.  
  • The CDC has developed excellent materials, including posters that you can display on site to help everyone understand the best ways to protect themselves from the virus.  These can be found here.  
  • Consider who is coming to your farm – employees and visitors. Consider logging or tracking that information which could help in the event of a positive case in your area. Screen and distance arriving workers to ensure health and safety.  
  • Limit person-to-person interactions and create more distance between workers out in the field. 
  • Set up handwashing and sanitation stations in accessible places. If you share equipment, do you have a plan to sanitize frequently touched surfaces?  
  • And, heaven forbid you experience a positive virus case in your family or your workforce. What is your plan to help support those who fall sick, including quarantine and health care measures, while still moving forward with the work that has to be done this season? Cornell University has created checklists to help mitigate risk and document any illness here. 
We are working with our colleagues at AFBF and other state Farm Bureaus to make sure we offer suggestions and recommendations specific to farmers as they are available. The most important thing now is that you are thinking about it and communicating with your family and employees consistently in the coming weeks.  
We know stress is high this time of year and the virus can feel both far away and close at the same time. Making a plan for your farm can help you take some control over this unprecedented situation. We’re here to support you.  ​

Farm Security 

Six things to know before you dig:
  1. Call JULIE 48 hours before work begins. It’s the law.
  2. Signs indicate pipelines in the area, not precise locations.
  3. Pipelines can shift over time.
  4. Double-check third parties that are coordinating the project.
  5. Gas providers will work with you.
  6. Give the marker flags a wide berth.
Dial 811 or visit JULIE’s website:  http://illinois1call.com

Rural Road Safety Safety Tips for Motorists

During planting and harvest seasons, motorists will encounter more large, slow moving vehicles on the road as well as vehicles and equipment parked on the side of the road.  Follow these tips to ensure your safety, and that of the farmers:

1.  Remain alert & aware of slow-moving vehicles.
  • Be prepared to stop quickly.
  • Slow down anytime you are going around curves or up hills.
  • Quickly approaching a piece of farm machinery increases your likelihood of getting into an accident. Give yourself plenty of space by slowing down and being prepared.
  • Be aware that farm machinery can enter a public road from a field or driveway, so keep your eyes alert.
2.  Learn to recognize the SMV emblem.
It has a red-orange fluorescent triangle at its center, surrounded by a highly reflective red border.
  • It alerts you that you are following a slow-moving vehicle, one that typically travels at less than 30 mph.
  • It has a red-orange fluorescent triangle at its center, surrounded by a highly reflective red border.
  • It alerts you that you are following a slow-moving vehicle, one that typically travels at less than 30 mph.
  • When approaching from the rear, a car traveling at normal speed can overtake a slow-moving vehicle very quickly. Watch for SMV emblems and be patient. The driver will pull over to let you pass as soon as it’s safe to do so. Pass only in a legal passing zone.
  • This sign is common on rural roads and drivers must heed its warning. When you see the SMV emblem - SLOW DOWN!
3.  Share the road with large equipment.
  • When driving farm equipment and semis, the bulky equipment and the sizable load can easily block part of the farmer’s view, making it hard to see approaching vehicles, so it is your responsibility to slow down.
  • It is important to remember that if you do not see the driver, then the driver cannot see you. When in doubt, assume the driver does not see you.
  • Many farmers haul their grain using semis.  When a semi tractor-trailer is full of grain, it takes them longer to stop.  Do not pull out in front of a moving semi. Also, do not follow farm equipment or semis too closely, as you want to see what is ahead (e.g. debris and other cars).
  • Farm equipment may take up more than one lane. These vehicles also make big wide turns. When they are pulling to the side of the road, don’t assume they are pulling over to allow you to pass. They may just be preparing to turn. Watch for them to acknowledge your presence and signal their turn. Pay close attention to the turn signals, especially before passing.
4.  Tips on passing farm machinery:
  • Check to be sure that machinery is not turning left. Look for left turn lights or hand signals. If the machinery slows and pulls toward the right side of the road, the operator is likely preparing to make a wide left turn. Likewise, sometimes to make a right turn with wide equipment, the driver must fade to the left.
  • Look for roadside obstacles such as mailboxes, bridges, or road signs that may cause the machinery to move to the center of the road. Fading to the left does not mean the farmer wants you to pass on the right.
  • Be sure there is adequate distance for you to safely pass, and make sure the road is wide enough for your vehicle and the farm equipment.
  • Only pass where it is legal. Do not pass if there is a solid yellow center line. Furthermore, do not pass near an intersection, railroad tracks, tunnels, or bridges. These areas can be particularly dangerous.