Farmers face issues getting their grain to market this fall
Dave Pastrovic farms near Litchfield, Illinois, about 60 miles from St. Louis. He usually hauls his grain there to get the premium prices available at the terminals on the Mississippi River. But not lately.
“I quit trucking to St. Louis,” he said. “I’ve got older trucks. Between that and the cost of fuel, I’ve been going to the local elevator.”
Families communicate on jobs during the busy harvest season
MINBURN, Iowa — Once upon a time a farmer could simply go from one field to another with the combine. It was a process that didn’t take long. But today combines are much larger and farms are much farther apart.
Logistics are important, especially at harvest time.
Harvest season means the crop is already dry, and that is all the fuel it takes for a fire to spread.
Photo courtesy North Dakota State University
Extreme drought conditions have set in for multiple northwest Iowa and southwest Missouri counties. The lack of moisture is hard for the growing crop and might add to safety concerns during this harvest season.
Angie Johnson, farm and ranch safety coordinator with North Dakota State University, said those dry conditions can make any spark turn into a disaster, as field fires can quickly wipe out portions of a field.
