HOMEGROWN

MAY 2018
Michigan

FARMING
A high-tech
industry
St. Joseph County’s
irrigation claim
Taking it from still holds true
FARM
TO FORK
FOCUS ON BRANCH, HILLSDALE AND ST. JOSEPH COUNTIES
 Associate of

Agricultural
Applied Science in

Equipment
Technology

Every day is a good day to b

e in agriculture.

Associate of

Agricultural
Applied Science in

Operations
- MSU Concentration

Glen Oaks
COMMUNITY COLLEGE
62249 Shimmel Rd. | Centreville, MI 269.467.9945 | glenoaks.edu
CONTENTS HOMEGROWN
Michigan
May 2018
Volume 1 Number 1

Publisher
Orestes Baez

Managing/Design Editor
Candice Phelps

High-dollar, Contributing Writers

high-risk crops
Julia Baratta
18 Jamie Barrand
Rosalie Currier

High-Tech Farming .........................6

Christy Harris
Nancy Hastings
Andrew King
USING APPS TO TRACK ACRES Jef Rietsma

Farm to Fork ...............................10

Regional Advertising Director
Lisa Vickers
FOOD DELIVERY STEPS REDUCED
Advertising Representatives

Supply Stop ................................14

Justine Angel
Judy Broadworth
Malinda Robedeau
EICHERS EXPAND FARM BUSINESS Tawney Sterett

Irrigation.....................................18
David Trippett

Graphic Artists
ST. JOSEPH COUNTY’S CLAIM TO FAME Brandie Hambright

Shear Exhilaration ........................22

Courtney Hambright
Carla Ludwick
Bobbie Reed
LIVING THE DREAM
Homegrown Michigan

Spring Safety ...............................26

is published by
STURGIS Sturgis Journa
MEDIA Gateway Shopp
TRACTOR TIPS FOR ROAD SAFETY GROUP Shoreline Magazin

4-H Preparation ...........................28

205 E. Chicago Road Sturgis, MI
email: newsroom@sturgisjournal.com
(269) 651-5407
Copyright © 2018
GETTING IN GEAR FOR FAIR SEASON
Homegrown Michigan
is published three times a year:
ON THE COVER: May, July, September
Jay Williams of Waldron’s Stoney Ridge Farms.
HOMEGROWN 3
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4 HOMEGROWN
 Welcome
efore the sun was up this morning, someone got

B up and milked their cows. A farmer went to the

barn and started up the tractor, preparing for a
day of providing food for mealtimes around the
nation. A Farm Bureau member made plans to attend a
Congressional hearing and shared his or her point of
view. A teacher prepared for a day of teaching teenagers,
hoping for a spark to ignite a passion for agriculture.
It is a very ‘ag’-citing time to be involved in agriculture.
Though many are four to five generations away from the
farm, they are interested in how their food, flowers, fibers
and furniture come into being. The farming community is
ready and willing to talk, show and share their work with
the world.
A common prefix has been taking the dictionary by
storm: Ag — Agvocacy, AgrAbility, Agventure,
Ag Lending and
Ag Education are just
some that come to
mind and as public
SUNSHINE & RAIN
interest increases, I am
sure there will be those
Julia Baratta

clever folks who will

come up with a few more. These phrases are important to
this industry as farmers show the integral working of life
on the farm.
And it’s not just big farms with big tractors, acres and
animals. People are looking to experience portions of the
farm lifestyle with small investments and production.
The owner of an orchard who wants to improve her fruit
harvest adds bees for pollination and honey to her
product line. The shepherd with lambs appreciates the
extra milk produced by the ewes and experiments with
soap making. Gardeners have the ability to purchase and
raise seeds that came to America via the Mayflower and Call us to make repairs
then save them for the next year’s harvest. Innovative
people are applying for grants and receiving herds of
on your aluminum truck.
goats to clean lands of invasive plants and weeds. These
are just a small representation of the combinations of
We have the equipment to
plants, animals and people working to provide for each GET THE JOB DONE!
of us.
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HOMEGROWN 5
 High-Tech
FARMING

6 HOMEGROWN
 At a glance, Waldron farmer Jay Williams can track the soil quality, moisture level
and types of seeds planted on any portion of his 1,300 acres.

Story & Photos by

Waldron farmer
T
Andrew King

o hear Jay Williams tell it, the farmer’s final

struggle is against the weather. With the help of
uses app rapidly advancing technology, farmers like
Williams— who owns and operates Waldron’s
Stoney Ridge Farms with his wife, Kelli— have taken
control of nearly every other aspect of the growing and
to track acres harvesting process.
“That’s the variable we can’t really control real well,” he
said of the weather, an especially unpredictable factor given
Michigan’s climate.
But on an iPad app called “Climate Field View,” Williams
can account for basically everything else across his 1,350
acres.
He can track the moisture, phosphorus and pH levels in
each area of the field. He can determine ahead of time
which varieties of seed will be planted where, tailoring his
approach to match each acre’s varying soil types. The corn
planters or air seeders that deposit those seeds auto-
navigate each field with the help of GPS, avoiding overlap.
At the end of the season, the combines that collect the yields
will do the same.
HOMEGROWN 7
 “If I want to plant 35,000 seeds per acre in a heavy soil
type and 27,000 in a sand soil type, I can write a
prescription so that when I go to a field with a corn
planter, it adjusts those automatically as we go across the
field,” Williams said.
This technology has come a long way since Williams’
farming career began in the early 1990s. As a high school
student, he worked on a neighbor’s farm before heading
Stoney

off to Michigan State University to pursue an

Ridge

undergraduate degree in ag/business.

Farms

During those years at MSU, Williams worked in the

employee
Chip Smith

university’s Crop and Soils Lab. Through that job he got a

performs

glimpse of the technology that would soon come to

upkeep on

define widespread, industry-standard practice.

the farm's

“That was when we were first trying to figure out how

air seeder.

we could engage technology into the combine cab to
capture real-time yield data... The lab that I was affiliated
with at Michigan State did some of that work, and we
had cooperators around the state. We’d fill their combine
cab full of computers and we’d harvest six rows of corn.
Those of us who were undergrads would sit there and be
handpicking the corn next to that machine and we’d
spend the winter comparing our hand-picked data to the
data that came out of the combine, trying to refine that
technology,” Williams said.
“So, you go from that early in my career to now: It’s a
little box in the combine cab giving you everything.”
Those changes have enabled Williams and his team to
take better care of their acreage, and better care of the
environment. Advancements are a means to an end (and,
Williams said, an expensive one at that), not an end in
and of itself.
“We’ve tried to build our business around being better
stewards so if we can do a better job of nutrient
management and maximize production by putting things
in the right places without negatively impacting the
environment, that’s where we want to go,” Williams said.
“That’s one of the [things] that technology allows us to
do." ❖

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8 HOMEGROWN
 Compiled by
Rosalie Currier

Farm-fresh produce is available

in nearly every community
via road-side stands or
farmers markets.
Here is a list of markets
in the area:

Branch County
Bronson, downtown
Saturdays, May-October, 8 a.m.-noon

Coldwater, Four Corners Park

Saturdays, June 23-Sept. 15, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

Quincy, village park

Thursdays, June 7-Aug. 2, 7 p.m.

Union City
Saturdays, 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Hillsdale County
Hillsdale, county courthouse
Saturdays, May-October, 8 a.m. - noon

Hillsdale, library parking lot

Saturdays, June-October

St. Joseph County

Colon, Community Park
Saturdays, 8 a.m. - noon

Constantine, Rotary Park

Wednesdays, 2-6 p.m.

Mendon, Reed Riverside Park

Thursdays, May-October, 2-6 p.m.

Sturgis, TSC
Saturdays, May 12-October, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

Three Rivers, Scidmore Park

Thursdays, May 31-Aug. 30, 1-6 p.m.

HOMEGROWN 9
 Mackenzie Koch,
Coldwater High School
and environmental and
agricultural science
student, and
Carson Rose, of
Bronson High School,
tend to the produce
planted by students.

10 HOMEGROWN
Farm
to
Food delivery reduced to
food, producer, consumer
The concept of farm-to-fork is nothing new to
students in the culinary arts and hospitality
Story & Photos by

management and environmental and agricultural

F
Christy Harris

resh. That is what food should be. science programs at the Branch Area Careers
Since 2013, the market volume of fresh Center.
foods consumed in the United States has The two programs have worked together to create
steadily risen from nearly 72 million generations of fresh food
metric tons to an expected consumers for nearly
76 million metric tons in 15 years.
2018. Under the direction of Bill
With the rise in fresh Earl, who retired from
food consumption, Branch Intermediate School
paired with nearly 40 District in 2015, and Carrie
farm-to-table restaurants Preston, the EAS class
thriving in Michigan, joined forces with Kristen
eating fresh is not just a Dogan of the culinary arts
fad. In fact, the amount of program to cross-train
farm-to-fork restaurants, students in 2005.
community gardens and “The farm-to-fork
farmers markets across the movement is extremely
Lorisa McCleland, Coldwater High School and
U.S. has increased nearly relevant to both industries.
environmental and agricultural science student,

500 percent since 1994, Having our students

spends time with piglets that were born at

according to the U.S. develop these networking

Branch Area Careers Center in January.

Department of Agriculture. relationships as young people will not only prepare

What is farm-to-fork?
Farm-to-fork promotes the direct transfer of food
from producer to consumer.
Consumers can eat fresh foods by way of
shopping at local farmers markets, community
gardens or through a direct relationship with a
producing farmer.
them for future relationships, but they may build
on these foundational relationships,” Dogan said.
Since the two programs came together, students
have participated in numerous projects, promoting
fresh-food consumption.
Dogan said combined projects include processing,
butchering, fabrication and preparation, beef, fish
raised aqua-culturally, pork, chickens and raising
and using herbs and vegetables from the

HOMEGROWN 11
hydroponic garden.
“The instructors develop a
lesson plan; students teach
other students based on
their expertise,” Dogan said.
“For example, if the
students are filleting a fish,
students with the most
experience will
demonstrate. When it’s time
to enter the kitchen, culinary
students are teamed with
EAS students. All students
work in teams to discuss
benefits to shareholders, as
well as future
opportunities.”
Bronson High School and
EAS student Carson Rose
said, “It’s a great program
because it helps people
understand the importance
of fresh food.”
Earlier this year, Rose
planted various fresh
produce from green beans to
watermelon to hot peppers,
produce that will be used in
various dishes created by
the culinary arts students.
Before Christmas, the
programs gifted 16 chicken
casseroles to the Naomi
Davis Shelterhouse and
Branch Area Food Pantry.
The casseroles, created by
the culinary arts students,
used chickens raised by the
EAS students.
Preston said EAS students
are raising fish that will be
used for a fillet next school
year.
“I believe farm-to-fork is a
win-win-win: chefs, farmers,
local economy,” Dogan said.
“This community is
surrounded by farmers,”
said Chandler Butler,
Quincy High School senior
and culinary arts student.
“In a community like ours,
farm-to-fork really helps out
each industry.” ❖
Culinary arts and hospitality management students
Hunter Kozlowski and Kaitlyn DanBury
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HOMEGROWN 13
 Eicher’s supply store
One of Lee Eicher’s Friesian mares shows off in the field.
offers feed and seed
Story & Photos by
I
Julia Baratta
n 2015, Lee and Edith Eicher, along with their
family, opened Premier Enterprises, a business
offering a wide variety of outdoor, livestock and
barn needs. It continues to grow as Eicher shares
his passion for animal nutrition and care, and is
evident in his dedication to providing high-quality
products.
“I know what I sell,” Eicher said. “We offer
knowledge on what we sell. We want to be able to
answer the customer’s questions.”
In April, the name of the business was changed to
reflect the new focus: Premier Feeds LLC: Country
14 HOMEGROWN
Supply Store. They offer a large inventory of
numerous brands ranging from basic livestock and
show feeds to dog food and wildlife seeds. They have
become a Kalmbach Feeds dealer, which includes a
myriad of brands and choices.
“They (Kalmbach) know the best products make the
best feed,” Eicher said. “Though we are small, we can
get whatever anyone wants, just like the bigger
stores.”
Because of his twice weekly deliveries from
Kalmbach in Upper Sandusky, Ohio, the customers
can receive these needs and desires in a timely
manner. Eicher can order an item and possibly
receive it on the next shipment. The truck comes on
Monday and Thursday, providing a way to offer
 more inventory than he could store. Eicher
also offers deliveries for those who live
within 15 miles of the business.
Feed can be purchased by the bag or by the
ton. Under the Kalmbach label, the store
stocks Tribute Equine Nutrition, Organic
Harvest Feeds for poultry, Formula of
Champions show feeds, and additional
Kalmbach feeds for swine and other
common livestock. An unusual offering from
Kalmbach is the Heartland Wildlife brand
that sells deer blocks, minerals, special mixes
to attract the animals, and food plot seeds
for planting and developing nutritious
ground cover.
Eicher stocks bags of dog food, which are
becoming quite a popular item in the store.
Prices are reflected in the amount of protein
contained in the food, but are comparable to
other high-quality feeds.
“Some of my customers have said that
their dogs liked the dog food we offered just
as well as the other brands that cost $40 a
bag rather than $20 for our bags,” Eicher
said.
Other items stocked in his shop include
Tingley boots, Redmond Minerals, Nutra-
Glo for ruminants as well as horses, KPF
Premier Feeds LLC, located outside of Colon, offers a large inventory of

Equine professional hair and skin care

feeds for livestock owners. Below, brightly-colored halters and lead ropes

products, and Pharm-Aloe, a product with

are available, along with Tingley boots and various feeds.

the byline of “Nature’s Own Health and

Beauty Aid.” He also carries some garden
tools, feeders made in Goshen, Ind., lead
ropes, bedding, rubber mulch and various
supplements and vaccines.
In between working a day job and running
the store, Eicher finds time to care for his
Friesian horses. His two mares, Rileigh and
Yvonne, live behind the store. Eicher’s
stallion, Nico from Gemini, resides in
Middlebury, Ind., at Premier Acres. Eicher
has taken Nico to benefit showcases, where
the horse is observed for possible breeding
options and supports a needy family in the
community in the process as the stud fee is
donated for fundraising.
“We have done a few of the benefits like
Stallion Day in Shipshewana and the one in
Mount Hope, Ohio,” Eicher said. “Actually,
Nico is just a hobby.”
Premier Feeds, on West M-60 in Colon, has
a website at premierenterprisesstore.com
and a Facebook page.
“Every week, we have something new,”
Eicher said. “My goal is to grow the business
and be able to be at home.” ❖
HOMEGROWN 15
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HOMEGROWN 17
 Water Source
Story & Photos by
St. Joseph County
T
Jef Rietsma

he statement that St. Joseph County is the

most-irrigated county east of the
a prime location Mississippi River has been thrown around
for years.
Has the suggestion been exaggerated or does it
for high-dollar, have merit?
Lyndon Kelley, irrigation educator with MSU
Extension/Purdue Extension, explained the origin of
the claim and weighed in on whether it is accurate.
high-risk crops “If you look through United States Department of
Agriculture statistics, we’re listed at 112,000 irrigated
acres … there’s no other county in Michigan or
Indiana (with that many irrigated acres),” Kelley
said. “So, yes, according to the stats, it is the most
heavily irrigated county east of the Mississippi.”
More important, however, is that St. Joseph County
is at the center of about 680,000 irrigated acres that
stretch in a band from Valparaiso, Ind., northeast to
Jackson. A historical map of the United States
documenting weather patterns within that band
shows it is due to receive more water in coming
decades compared to regions outside the band.
“We all talk about global warming but that stretch
(from Valparaiso to Jackson) is expecting to get more

18 HOMEGROWN
rainfall … it already gets two inches more (annually)
than it did 30 years ago,” Kelley said. “So, we’re on a
very plentiful aquifer and that makes it very
advantageous for irrigated crops.”
The strong aquifer, Kelley said, is due to the area’s
sandy loam soil, which allows water to seep through
the soil and penetrate into the aquifer. That cycle of
replenishment, in the world of agriculture, is called
“recharge,” and 10 to 14 inches of water recharges in
St. Joseph County annually.
Kelley called that amount “a phenomenal thing that
doesn’t happen elsewhere.”
“If you have companies that are looking for places to
raise high-dollar, high-risk crops that are very
vulnerable to challenges from the environment, you
would come here,” he said. “It’s not only the irrigated
water source, it’s that sandy loam soil that makes it so
quickly drain, so we have fewer potential problems
from delayed harvest or planting.”
Irrigation in St. Joseph County saw a few systems
appear in 1968, before a major increase in their presence
in the 1970s. Total irrigated crop land before 1973 was
about 2,000 acres, but an unforgiving drought in the
summer of 1973 resulted in a significant spike.
The systems continued to dot the landscape in
growing numbers through the 1970s and ‘80s, and then
hit another peak as a result of the drought of ’88.
Another surge was experienced after a drought in 2012.
“It’s had a steady increase, but there’s some big blips,”
Kelley said. “Primarily, when we’ve had big, national
droughts, those really pushed the high-dollar, specialty
crops that are irrigated toward our area.”
About two-thirds of an irrigation system’s water
source comes from below-ground deep wells, while the
balance comes from surface water. Surface waters are
rapidly replenished by ground water underneath, so, in
essence, all irrigation one way or another is from
underground, Kelley said.
He said irrigation systems push more than 75 percent
of their water intake onto crops through a center-pivot
distribution system.
A typical and most cost-effective system will have
seven towers stretching 1,300 feet in length and make a
circle inside a 160-acre field. He likened the layout to
completing an eighth-grade geometry challenge:
Putting the biggest circle possible into a square or
rectangle.
“The math is in the design, figuring out how many
acres (of field) can get covered for how much extension
you have,” Kelley said. “We have it generally at a point
where 142 acres of a 160-acre field are covered … it’s the
most efficient number there is, though if you spend
more money, you can do things to pick up those dry
corners and we see more of that here because of the
HOMEGROWN 19
seed-corn industry than we do
anywhere else in the United States.”
Examples of how the hard-to-
reach corners are watered include
the use of irrigation accessories such
as end-guns and cornering arms.
Kelley and others in his field
spend a considerable amount of
time discussing efficiency in
irrigation. One advantage local
farmers have over their
counterparts in other regions is the
combination of cold ground water
and high summertime humidity.
“Out west, they have a lot of
evaporation in the air between the
droplet flying from the nozzle to the
crop,” Kelley said. “Here, because
of our cold water and high
humidity, we don’t see much
evaporation from the sprinkler to
the crop, especially in our corn
fields.”
It takes three to four days of
irrigating to add an inch of water to
the area within a pivot’s path, he
noted.
Nottawa Township farmer Larry Walton said his irrigation system has served him

Nottawa Township farmer Larry don’t have a problem and that’s and reduced the risks, and that’s
and his crops well throughout the system's 17-year life.

Walton said he is part of a team of
farmers in St. Joseph and Cass
counties that hired a hydrologist,
who is leading a study to determine
what impact their use of irrigation
is having on the aquifer.
The impact, so far, is showing a
negligible effect.
“We can monitor all we want, but
if I pump for two days and my well
draws down three feet, and I shut it
off and in an hour, it’s back to
where it was originally, then we
what we’re dealing with,” he said.
“If (water use) is ever litigated,
we’ll have something to work with
and we can provide solid data.”
Would it be conceivable to farm in
St. Joseph County without relying
on an irrigation system? Kelley said
it’s possible, but someone in that
situation faces a serious handicap.
“Without irrigation, it would be
hard to compete in this area,” he
advised. “Irrigation has made
agriculture more profitable here
why you see very few acres of
irrigated land going back to
unirrigated.”
Kelley added that irrigation has
been the answer for people trying
to expand farming operations or
start a career in farming. It’s a way
of making a higher income off
fewer acres.
“Acres are the limiting factors for
most young farmers and for most
people trying to stay afloat in the ag
industry,” Kelley said. ❖

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20 HOMEGROWN
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Consumers crave choice in their family’s diet, which
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HOMEGROWN 21
 Shear
Exhilaration
Farm manager at Willow Farm
is living childhood dream
Story & Photos by
S
Jamie Barrand
ince she was a child, Kyle Brisendine has
wanted to work with animals and live on a
farm. Now, at 22, and after spending three
years overseas getting her education, she has
brought her knowledge and skills back home to make
those dreams a reality.
Kyle is the daughter of Tom and Candy Brisendine,
who own Willow Farm at 1259 Clarendon Road just
north of Quincy Township. Kyle manages the sprawling
80-acre farm, which is home to 15 head of sheep
(Romney and Blue-Faced Leicestershire), “a dozen-ish”
beef cattle (Devon and Hereford), a colorful assortment
of free-range hens and roosters and Cerin, a
170-pound Great Pyrenees “guard dog” who protects the
22 HOMEGROWN
farm’s lambs and ewes from coyotes.
Tom worked for many years at GM while
simultaneously working and living on a 30-acre farm in
Durand. Originally, the idea of moving to a farm came
up because Candy had ridden horses when she was
younger and had the desire to have them again.
“Then it was, ‘let’s get a feeder calf,’ then we got some
pigs, then we got chickens,” Kyle said. “It just kept
growing.”
When Kyle was 4, she began asking for sheep. She
helped around the farm and earned her first pair of
ewes, showing for the first time when she was 7 or 8.
“I can’t remember exactly how old I was, but I know
the sheep were still bigger than me,” she said.
“We looked all over the state for a larger farm,” Kyle
said. “This is the one we found that we loved.”
As Kyle approached her 2012 high school graduation,
she knew she wanted to pursue a career in agriculture.
“I watch the show ‘Bones’ and for a little while I
thought about forensic anthropology,” she said. “But I
was always drawn back to agriculture. I love the
animals; I love being outside. I just can’t see myself
doing anything else.”
After researching a multitude of possible colleges and
universities at which she might study, Kyle chose the
Royal Agricultural University in Cirencester, England,
where she earned a bachelor of science degree, with
honors in agriculture with an emphasis in livestock.
Currently, in addition to managing Willow Farm, she
also works as a receptionist for an irrigation supply
company and is taking online courses through Colorado
State University to earn a master’s degree in integrated
resource management. could be the setting for a Laura Ingalls Wilder novel. The
“The plan is to one day grow the farm enough that it only new structure the Brisendines have put on the
will be my only full-time job,” Kyle said. “But in the property is a shop from which they sell grass-fed beef
meantime, I really like my job and I work with people and lamb products and eggs produced by the wandering
who have a lot of valuable experiences and are so hens. Additionally, the shop offers fleece, yarn and
helpful to me.” bedding produced by the farm’s sheep, as well as gifts
The quaint house and barn at Willow Farm sits against such as socks, vests and sweaters knitted and crocheted
the background of rolling pastures and look like they by Candy and family friends.
HOMEGROWN 23
 “I can spin, I can weave, I can knit and I can crochet,”
Kyle said. “But my mom does most of the knitting. She
has a lot more patience than I do.”
Most of what the shop sells right now is meat. Foot
traffic picks up when the farm hosts open houses and
other community events; an anniversary celebration
and shearing day have become annual events.
“We welcome the community to come in and see
what we do here day-in and day-out,” Kyle said.
Candy agreed.
“Things are picking up slowly, but surely,” she said.
“We have high hopes.”
The Brisendines are dedicated to community outreach
and farming education. They recently hosted a
shearing day, during which participants watched the
sheep being sheared and learned how to skirt fleece
(the process by which raw fleece is initially cleaned and
debris is removed), as well as a Sheep School during
which participants learned the basics of selecting
breeding stock, lambing, nutrition and health care.
A Fence Clinic is June 10. The Brisendines will let
attendees in on what they have learned over the years
about building hi-tensile and woven wire fences. Cost
is $30 and includes lunch; registration ends June 2.
“We also have a little lending library,” Kyle said. “We
have cookbooks, how-to books, farm-based novels and
books written by other farmers around the country. We
do a kind of take-a-book, leave-a-book system.”
Having been raised around farming, Kyle has seen
many changes in the industry.
“I see a lot of growing farms, and I see a lot more
women doing it,” she said. “There is also a lot more
online marketing and social media is huge.”
Those changes have allowed Willow Farm to ship
wool, fleece and other products all over the United
States.
“We’ve shipped here, there and everywhere; from the
east coast to the west coast,” Kyle said.
The bred ewes at Willow Farm are due to start
lambing any day now. Despite having seen many,
many lambs being born, Kyle still gets excited about
the new arrivals. Most of the sheep have names … Kyle
often does themes such as TV shows or flowers with
lambing cycles (a few cycles ago the theme was “The
Addams Family;” two of the ewes are Mortitia and
Wednesday).
“The sheep are still my favorite,” she said.
Willow Farm’s store hours are 1-5 p.m. Friday and
9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday
More information is available online at
www.willowfarmwool.com, on Facebook or by calling
(517) 542-0192. ❖

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HOMEGROWN 25
26 HOMEGROWN
 Tractor safety an
issue each spring
Story by
W
Nancy Hastings
ith the planting
season upon us, area
officials emphasize
farm implement
safety on roadways, for both
motorists and farmers.
Each year, incidents involving
tractors and other farm machinery
occur on public roads, causing costly
equipment damage, injury and
death.
According to the National Safety
Council, collisions with other
vehicles make up nearly half of
these incidents. Running off the
road, overturning, striking a fixed
object or falling from equipment
make up the remainder.
Hillsdale County Commissioner
Mark Wiley agrees springtime does
bring on additional roadway
accidents.
He recalls one of recent years
when the tractor’s driver was on a
curve turning into a driveway when
a car came around him. The next
thing he heard was a horn blowing
as the car hit the side of the tractor.
It was a no passing zone.
“People need to be aware that
farm machinery moves slower and
because of the position of the driver,
it’s hard to see when people start to
make a turn,” Wiley said. “My
message is, please slow down and
take your time. Give those of us out
here (on machinery) the benefit of
the doubt. Don’t ruin our day and
yours, both. It’s not worth being in
such a hurry that you can’t wait for
us to get over.”
Wiley feels the problem stems
from the fact people are removed –
by at least three generations – from
the farm and few are familiar with
the mobility of machinery.
Pointing out the hazards of farm
machinery is something Wiley and
the National Safety Council say is
advisable this time of year.
Some practical tips offered to
farmers by the council involve:
Licensing and traffic laws: Be
thoroughly familiar with how to
operate a tractor and any equipment
it is hauling and obey all traffic
laws.
Slow-moving vehicle emblem:
Have slow-moving vehicle emblems
and reflectors in place on all tractors
and implements and make sure they
are clean and in good condition.
Safety signals: Warning lights on
tractors can help protect you from
being hit by motorists. Consider
installing lights on the back of
wagons and farm implements at the
eye level of motorists.
Children: Never allow children to
operate or ride on equipment.
When to travel: Keep travel on
public roads to a minimum or when
visibility is good.
Braking: Make sure brake pedals
are locked together and that brakes
are adjusted for equal pedal
movement.
Escort vehicles: At times, tractors
or the equipment they are pulling
extend beyond the center of the road
into the oncoming traffic lane,
especially on narrow rural roads.
In these situations, consider using
an escort vehicle equipped with
flashing yellow lights.
Remember that equipment can
obscure the rear lights of the tractor.
Lighting: Properly light tractors
and equipment. Lighting should
include turn signals, headlights and
tail lights.
County Farm Bureau President
Terry Finegan said the safety
council’s practices are ones
implemented, but he agrees while
farmers follow the practices,
motorists present the biggest issue.
“The biggest issue is speed by
motorists,” Finegan said. “Following
a tractor is like going through four
stop lights through town. If you
follow it for a mile, that’s about four
lights and it’s not that long.”
Another example comes from
working with the trucking
community, something Finegan did
for a period of time.
“When our speed was 55 mph,
cars were going 75,” he said.
“Compare the speed differential to
that of a tractor going 25 and cars
45. It’s the same differential because
you come up on a semi just as fast.”
Finegan stresses patience, no
matter what equipment is on the
road.
“Everybody has stuff going on and
we’re all running back and forth,”
he said. “Just be patient. Most
farmers try to find a spot to pull off
and let you by. Patience will get
everybody where they need to go in
a safe manner.” ❖
HOMEGROWN 27
 Fair
prep
is year
round
for local
4-H’ers
Story & Photos by

F
Julia Baratta

or some, winter is a time

for kicking back and
dreaming of the more
pleasant seasons to come.
There seems to be more time for
working through that reading list,
pursuing new hobbies and
completing indoor projects.
4-H members do all that and more,
as they look forward to and prepare
for county fairs.
Jennifer Sanderson and her daughter Naomi participate in the fairy gardens class

complete still exhibit projects, it is market, are required to attend one of

at the fifth annual “4-H Project Day” in Coldwater.

The primary reason for the youth

program is an opportunity to learn
about the world around them
through informational materials,
hands-on activities and learning to
be better citizens in their
communities. It is all included in the
4-H pledge: “I pledge my head to
clearer thinking, my heart to greater
loyalty, my hands to larger service,
my health to better living, for my
club, my community, my country
and my world.”
While winter is a good time to
also a great time for meetings.
During the spring and summer,
many members spend time with
their animals, caring for and
working with them to make a good
showing at the fair. Cold weather
encourages more indoor activities,
which is why several county 4-H
programs offer classes about animal
care during that time.
In St. Joseph County, each 4-H
member intending to show any
animals, whether breeding or
the numerous workshops offered
December through March. The
young people don’t have to go to a
particular meeting; they can attend
any of them, just so they are present
at one. There are specific meetings
for each of the species exhibited at
the fair, with a few extra interesting
ones for educational purposes. These
additional workshops this past
winter included a meat session at a
local butcher shop and a bio-security
workshop introducing youth to

28 HOMEGROWN
 David Machan, of Central Meat Market in Sturgis, shares information with 4-H members about the cooler and
where the sides of beef originate from. This was one of several animal care workshops offered through St. Joseph County.

disease prevention and how to avoid those types of

problems.
As of 2018, all Branch County 4-H members with
animals were required to attend one of the Animal
Welfare for Youth workshops conducted by MSUE staff
members. These presentations were offered in
cooperation with the county’s annual Farmer’s Day and
4-H Project Day. Once the workshop was over, each
participant received a certificate they will include in
their evaluation notebooks. Animals were not the only
focus at the 4-H Project Day, as the attendees were able
to complete at least two still exhibit projects to take to
the fair and be shown in the 4-H building.
Hillsdale County has not made meetings mandatory
for members, other than those showing swine and they
will complete the pork quality assurance program. That
said, each animal exhibitor is required to prepare a
project report to turn in during the fair which will be
judged.
These are just a few of the activities that keep 4-H
members planning and preparing for their fairs...and
Dr. David Thompson presents at one of the Branch County
sessions for 4-H and FFA members. As of 2018, the Branch

their futures. ❖
County 4-H Fair Board required each showman to attend one
of the animal care workshops.
HOMEGROWN 29
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