(WSIL) -- It's officially fall, which means famers are getting back into their fields.聽
As farmers are hard at work, drivers are reminded to be aware of slow-moving farm vehicles. Allow plenty of space between you and the equipment. Following too close makes it difficult for the farmers to see you.
"I would just encourage everyone to have some patience. We don't like holding up people any more than they like being held up, but the equipment is large. There's not always a place to pull over so if people could just be patient, we try to clear the roads," adds Leon McClerren, President of the Franklin County Farm Bureau.
McClerren also asks that you don't pull over opposite of a mailbox. It often doesn't leave enough room for the equipment to move through.
Seeing more farm equipment also means harvest season is in full swing.
"It's not uncommon for us to put 12 to 13 hours in, in the combine and that mean you've got two or three hours before that and you've got an hour or two after that," says Leon McClerren, President of the Franklin County Farm Bureau.
McClerren says the long hours are just beginning but the season is looking great. "This is going to be an above average season for the majority of farmers and that said there is always somewhere where the weather didn't cooperate and that's unfortunate, but I think those are going to be small areas in southern Illinois."
Heavy rain led to some damaged crops in low lying areas, but higher grounds seem to be making up the difference.
"To quote the old timers, let me say this, they always said that it doesn't matter what happens in the first half. It matters what happens in the second half, the growing season. We have had a wonderful July and August which has made some outstanding corn yields and bean yields," adds McClerren.
Mcclerren says he's hoping the weather continues to cooperate. "We don't need any heavy rain events. Good ole showers, we need a little of that along, you know, keep that fire danger, keep the dust down but uh just pretty dry if at all possible."
If you see farm equipment on the roads, be sure to slow down and move over. "This is when it all happens. The next 30 days you're going to see a lot of farm equipment and farmers on the roads and they're going to be awfully tired and awful busy.
McClerren says his goal is to be done harvesting by Thanksgiving.
