WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – There’s been a rise in the number of farm-related deaths on highways and more drivers passing heavy machinery and equipment heading to and from fields, according to a veteran farm safety expert at Purdue University.

Bill Field, also a farmer with heavy machinery on the roads during harvest, urged drivers to be patient and share the road with farm machinery.

“It just seems like there’s so much more aggression. It just ends up in problems,” he said.

Field said he’s most concerned about the risk from having large farm vehicles and other equipment traveling on roads during harvest and spring planting.

The number of fatalities on the farm in Indiana has risen from 15 last year to 28, so far, this year, he said. Field said many of the deaths occurred in Amish communities where older, less safe equipment and age-old farming practices are still used.

Field cautioned about the use of corn pickers, which have been largely replaced over the years by combines but are still used especially on small farms due to their much cheaper purchase price.

Field said corn pickers have rolls moving with enough power to remove ears from the stalks and husks from the ears.

He said injuries often happen, though, when drivers fail to shut off corn pickers to remove stalks stuck in the rolls that prevent them from turning properly.

That’s when an arm by the hand or a leg by a foot can be pulled into the machine.

“That’s part of the problem with pickers. They try to fix things with it running,” he said.

Typically, Field said accidents involving corn pickers aren’t fatal but result in amputations.

Fortunately, Field said skid steers are starting to be made with video cameras and monitors for drivers to see what’s behind them while backing up.

Without the cameras, drivers looking back can’t see much, if anything, because of how skid steers are designed.

The National Grain and Feed Foundation (NGFF) recently offered safety tips designed to prevent death and injury on farms during the upcoming harvest season.

The organization’s advice focuses heavily on safety around moving vehicles like tractors, semi-trucks, pay loaders, skid steers, forklifts and yard carts to prevent hitting or running over someone working or helping on the farm.

The NGFF suggests having a spotter to help avoid striking an individual that might be near or underneath a machine while it’s parked or in the path of a driver operating the vehicle. Spotters can also help notify the driver to stop if a person happens to be in the blind spot of the driver.

“These are generally caused by the driver not being able to see a worker in their blind spot,” NGFF officials said.

Other causes of people being struck include workers not hearing back-up alarms on farm machines and employees retrieving equipment or tools underneath vehicles. 

Farmers should also give undivided attention to the area they’re driving in or working around and make sure trucks and trailers are on level ground when parking to prevent shifting and rolling, according to the NGFF.

Other advice includes hands-on training and discussing potential hazards with all operators, not allowing drivers to use cellphones, and wearing high visibility clothing to improve the odds of being seen by a machine operator or spotter.

According to the NGFF, there should also be a traffic control plan containing things like clearly marked designated areas of travel for all equipment, vehicles and people on foot.

Easily visible signage should also be posted to mark places like entry and exit points, along with unloading areas.

The NGFF also suggests keeping people not involved in the receiving process out of the area and making sure nobody smokes in dusty environments to prevent a flash fire.

Other tips include having a dump grade no wider than 2.5 inches to lower the risk of trips, twists and falls and cleaning up spilled grain to prevent slips.