As the 2022 haying season is in full swing, North Dakota State University Extension farm and ranch safety coordinator Angie Johnson urges farmers and ranchers to put safety first when haying ditches.

“Precipitation has greatly improved the 2022 hay crop, but in some areas, excessive moisture has been a challenge,” Johnson said. “The increase in surface and subsoil moisture means producers who cut, rake and bale road ditch hay have to watch out for water in the ditches that could lead to dangerous washouts, exposed culverts and soft spots.”

Before haying, Johnson recommends that farmers and ranchers inspect road ditches and take the following actions:

Haying ditches has unique safety concerns any year due to the highly variable sloped surfaces of ditches. Unsafe practices or conditions can create wear and tear on equipment, damage equipment or cause injuries or even death. “Your first line of defense while haying ditches needs to be the use of a tractor that has a fully enclosed cab or rollover protection system (ROPS) bar,” Johnson said. “In an open cab tractor, a ROPS bar in combination with a seat belt can protect you from being thrown and becoming pinned underneath tractor tires in the event the tractor tips or rolls due to the steep conditions of a ditch.”

The National ROPS Rebate Program may help recover the costs of purchasing and installing a ROPS bar. Visit https://bit.ly/3NVVjmV for more information.

Other important safety practices related to equipment include:

For all balers, ensure all safety shields are in place, the PTO is disengaged (with tractor off) and safety locks are applied when performing maintenance and repairs. During haying, keep the following safety concerns in mind:

“Ditch hay is expensive enough as it is due to the amount of equipment, labor, time and hazardous conditions that are present with each ditch,” says Johnson. “Take time to plan and evaluate the risks versus benefits of baling ditch hay. The bales produced from it are not worth losing a life. Safety precautions can help prevent a tragic incident from occurring while making hay this summer.” For more farm and ranch safety tips, visit www.ndsu.edu/agriculture/ and enter “Farm Safety” in the search bar.