Halito (Hello) from Dr. Evan Whitley, Executive Director of Agriculture.
When hay rakes and balers begin moving up and down the road, one can quickly surmise that “spring has sprung.” There are many distinct differences between rural and urban living, but the patience required this time of year for rural roadway travel is unquestionably one of them. Hay-making equipment – including tractors – are getting more expansive, and therefore require more “space” as they travel down the county roads.
It’s been my experience the drivers of these “rigs,” if given a reasonable chance, often accommodate by moving over to the right side of the road so to allow traffic to pass. That said, oftentimes their ability to “pull over” is limited, thanks in no small part to a lack of shoulder space or even a driveway to pull into momentarily. Keep in mind the cumulative value of most of these set-ups is greater than many folks’ houses, so to ask them to pull over into the ditch is not terribly reasonable, much less very neighborly.
Hay production is a vital and necessary service to the stakeholders living in these rural communities. Let’s bear that in mind and try to cut them a little slack to keep everyone safe as possible on the roads.