Harvest Safety

Harvest Safety

David Sparks Ph.D.
David Sparks Ph.D.
“The harvest is going great, the weather looks really good”. Dan Miasako of T&K Farms, West of Greenleaf, Idaho works the dirt, turning up yellow onions ultimately headed to markets across the country. US farmers plant approximately 125,000 acres of yellow onions annually and produce about 6.2 billion pounds a year. At Allendale Produce on the Idaho side, harvest is bringing in yellow, red and white onions from the fields to storage. “The majority are yellows and then the next largest colored onion are reds and we will put close to 80 acres of reds away into storage.” All of those onions need to be gathered up, put in a truck and taken to storage.” “ I was actually driving for my dad when I was a kid.” Juan Gonzalez is a contract trucker that T&K Farms has relied on for over 25 harvest seasons. Miasako says it's good to have a select few like Juan who know the ropes. "We have really been spoiled that way. We've had the same people on the farm every year so they know where the fields are, know what we expect, know what they are doing out there so it just makes things go a lot easier.” Gonzales is really an auto mechanic who takes a month off each year to help with harvest. It's in his family blood. “I actually bought my first truck from my dad and I have been doing it ever since. I think I was about 20 when I bought that first truck. I've been doing it ever since. I am 51 years old now.” Also on Miasako’s mind is road safety. A recent road fatality involving farm equipment is a reminder that drivers need to be extra alert on country roads this time of year. "This time of year it's a very dangerous time of year. You've got meant trucks, onion trucks, you've got everything that's being grown in the Valley, being harvested right now and the harvesters and tractors that do all of that work are on the roads. So it's really important to pay attention to what you are doing and keep an eye out.”

 

 

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