Don’t be too harsh on Bruce Williams, Avon, Ind., when he says he never feels like he’s really alone, even when planting or combining corn. He seldom works in a field that isn’t surrounded by a subdivision, or at least within close range of several houses.

His daughter Angie, an educator, says she watched the area change as she grew up. “It’s nothing like it used to be,” she says. “We have so many neighbors now, and the area continues to grow rapidly.”

If you farm in the middle of Benton County or Randolph County, the scene Angie and her family encounter every day might be hard to imagine. All you likely see in the distance are more corn and soybean fields. But for many farmers, urban sprawl is real.

Herbicide drift goes both ways
Obviously, whether they spray themselves or have their fields sprayed, for a family living with subdivisions on the horizon, paying careful attention to wind direction and other environmental factors is a big deal. That was the case even before issues with dicamba products for dicamba-tolerant soybeans surfaced.

Attention to what you’re spraying and where it’s being applied takes on a whole new meaning when off-target “crops” are costly landscaping trees, shrubbery, flowers and vegetable gardens.

However, the Williams family has learned that the pesticide drift issue can go both ways. Some of their crops have suffered from drift coming off lawns in subdivisions treated with various chemicals. It’s typically not a big enough area to prompt action against neighbors, but it makes a crucial point. Homeowners who move to the country, even if it’s in a suburb, have an obligation to apply herbicides and insecticides responsibly. That also means making sure commercial applicators that treat lawns are aware of the immediate surroundings. There’s typically a corn or soybean crop nearby.

Equipment travel
The other headache that goes without saying is moving wide, slow-moving farm equipment up and down heavily traveled roads, even if they are only city or county roads. Fred Whitford, director of Purdue University Pesticide Programs, recently issued a new publication that specifically deals with moving high-clearance sprayers on the road safely. It’s Extension Bulletin 117.

Do your part to make sure your equipment is visible, Whitford says. You may want to invest in a new, bright SMV sign for each tractor and implement. Maybe you want to add extra lighting on the back of large vehicles. For example, Whitford believes aftermarket LED lights in the form of a left-turn signal is a good investment.   

Two issues related to road travel in semicongested areas have come up recently. Traditionally, farmers in large equipment have someone follow them with a pickup. “Some are opting to move alone, without it,” Whitford says. “If a pickup is following, drivers are often tempted to dart in between the truck and implement.”

Whitford knows one farm where the crew intentionally leaves five minutes apart, and without trailing vehicles, so there will be plenty of distance between the equipment.

Do you move equipment in the daylight or at night? That’s also up for debate, Whitford says. Some are opting for night moves because of less traffic. Lighting becomes critical then.

One farmer who travels at night adds extra lights. The only thing you need to be aware of, he says, is not turning on such a bright light that you blind motorists.