Minnesota Farm Guide: Leading Farm Newspaper

Our Views

Hello? Hellllllllloooo.

Anybody there?

This is your family, your wife, your kids, your mom and dad, your sister, your brother, your best friend, the lady at the counter of your grocery store, the parts man of your implement dealership, your pastor, your bowling buddies.

We're the people that care about you.

We worry.

We worry every time the news comes on, and we hear about another farm accident. We know that not all farm accidents can be prevented - we just don't want the next story to be about you. We don't want to lose another man from our lives. We don't want to lose you.

You know how to take care of everything on the farm, but sometimes you get busy.

You're a guy, and you're strong and smart. Things have gone your way in the past.

You're the one who helps the person having trouble with their vehicle. We hope you'll be around to keep helping them out, along with the rest of us.

We need you.

We need you around.

So when the grain is stuck in the bin, can you find a way to get the grain out that won't suck you in?

Can you drive a tractor with an ROP and use a seat belt when you are mowing or haying the road ditches?

Grandpa, you're the big culprit here. Next year, why don't you modernize a little and spend some of your money to get a safe tractor for baling the ditches?

And yes, we know it gets crazy during sugarbeet harvest. We're out there driving trucks too and working at the piling stations. Take a little more time. Drive a little slower, and watch the intersections a little more carefully.

When it comes to the other crops - we know this has been a less than ideal year. A lot of the corn has fallen down. The other crops might be twisted.

You are likely to have corn stalks that bunch up in the header - soybean stems that wrap around the reel.

It's going to take longer to harvest the crop. Please use your brain and your brawn to get the crop in. Work with your dealer if it's not going well.

Please don't stick your hand or your foot into moving parts.

If you're tired, it's okay. Take a nap. Try to get seven or eight hours of sleep a night. The crops will still be there. If they are not, then something is wrong with the system.

We want you to eat something besides potato chips. You need to eat sandwiches with meat. Buy those packages of mini-carrots to have in the tractor or combine. Enjoy some good jerky - spend the money to get the good stuff.

Please drink something besides caffeine. You may need caffeine, but we also want you to take along a thermos of cold water. Grab a 12 pack of bottled water to have in the pickup. Have some milk with your meals. Eat some lettuce.

When you're working with “the hired help,” here's something to remember. It's not always enough to just show them how to run the equipment. Take the time to let them ask questions. And listen. And watch them while they drive or operate the machinery to make sure they know how to run it correctly.

Patience will go a long ways with the children and the employees and your spouse this fall.

Well, we've probably harped on you long enough. We've wanted to tell you these things, but nobody likes to be told what to do. So we just say this: Be safe this harvest.