Farming underway throughout region

For many farmers across Livingston County, this week begins the planting season for row crops — soybeans, corn and the likes. It is a time of both excitement and stress as many farmers are bringing out their machinery for the first time to get everything in working order for the season ahead. As the fields begin to dry, drivers can expect to see more farm equipment on the roads and in the fields.

“A lot of the cultivating for this year’s planting season will really depend on the weather,” Jody Hughes, manager at the Livingston County Farm Bureau said. “This tends to be the time of year when it is warm enough for farmers to start. I noticed a lot of farmers were really getting out and going.”

From spraying ammonia to get the ground fertile to making sure all the farming equipment is ready to go, each farmer has an individual plan for preparation. Hughes said a lot of the older farmers use the farmer’s almanac to predict overall weather for the year.

“In general, farmers get pretty nervous around this time,” Hughes said. “Sometimes, the planned day to start in the fields doesn’t happen because it’s too wet outside. There can also be equipment breakdowns and other unanticipated events that halt the process.”

One big misconception about farming is people drive by big fields and assume they are company-owned. Typically, Hughes said that is not the case. Often, families pass the responsibilities of operation down through the generations. Many farms around the county are family-owned.

“Anymore, there are less farmers who are farming more ground than they used to,” Hughes said. “But it’s still something which can be covered by multiple generations of family members. That typically is how it goes, everyone is involved.”

Hughes said her own family is involved and farming. Her father specifically has been getting up earlier than normal in order to work through all the kinks associated with getting equipment prepared for the fields. Farmers must choose the best window of time for planting to make sure crops have optimal growing conditions to produce the best harvest.

“Farmers get anxious because once they get in the field they want to make it happen without a lot of hassle,” Hughes said. “So before we ever see the cultivators out in the fields, there is a lot of preparing that goes into making sure things are in order.”

The main point Hughes wants to get across to the public, is to slow down and watch out for farm equipment. The vehicles move slowly and sometimes are difficult to see around. Although it can be frustrating, taking a second to slow down and wait for an opportune time to pass is recommended.

“There are a lot of accidents, unfortunately, people are trying to quickly get around these big vehicles,” Hughes said. “On the other hand, hopefully the farmers are doing their part to get over to the side of the road as much as they can so drivers can get around them.”