Coming to a Farm Near You

Well, it looks like the folks in Washington are at it again — trying to “help” farmers right out of business. The Department of Transportation has decided it might be a fine idea to reclassify farm equipment as commercial vehicles.

That means if you drive a tractor, combine, or even a four-wheeler across your own field, you’d need a commercial driver’s license. Yep, the same kind the big-rig drivers have — complete with schooling, fees, insurance, and paperwork that could choke a horse.

Now maybe that makes sense in a conference room somewhere, but out here, it’s laughable. The kid who’s been running the baler since he was fourteen? Out of luck. Grandpa who still likes to rake hay on his own land? Technically illegal. The people writing these rules must think food grows in supermarkets.

The DOT says they’re holding “public hearings,” but that’s usually code for we’re going to do it anyway, we just want to look polite first. Their official statement about how agriculture is “the backbone of our economy” would be funny if it weren’t so insulting. If this is their way of helping farmers succeed, I’d hate to see what happens when they start trying to hurt us.

Make no mistake — this affects more than farmers. If these rules go through, costs will rise from the barn to the grocery aisle, and everyone will pay for it.

Maybe before making more regulations, they ought to trade the neckties for work gloves and spend a week in haying season. A few days in 90-degree heat on a tractor might give them a better appreciation for what real work looks like.

The U.S. Department of Transportation has proposed a rule to reclassify all farm equipment as commercial vehicles. This proposed change would mean that anyone operating any piece of motorized farm equipment would have to have a CDL (commercial driver's license), with all the resultant schooling, expensive licensing and insurance, and record keeping that those who drive 18 wheelers have. It would also mean that farm workers, from the farmer's 14 yr old kid who helps with baling hay, to the elderly farmer who no longer drives on public roads, could no longer operate farm equipment, even on their own property. Now just to be fair, the DOT is holding public hearings on this matter until today, August 1. But in my experience this really means they're going to do what they want but want to give the impression that they're listening to input from affected parties. However, just last week, a DOT opinion piece closed with this statement:

"Everyone in this Administration - from President Obama, Vice President Biden, and Secretary LaHood on down - is committed to the long-term success of America's agricultural industry. In many ways, agriculture is the backbone of our economy - feeding hundreds of millions of Americans and billions more around the world. As the largest user of freight transportation in the nation, the agricultural industry is also one of USDOT's most important constituents. We hope that this comment period is the start of a new and productive relationship. We may not ultimately agree on every issue, but we will always listen - and do our best to help America's farmers succeed."

If this is helping farmers to succeed I'd hate to see what damage they could do if they were actually TRYING to hurt us. It is up to not only every farmer, from those with backyard gardens to those who make it their livelihood, as well as everyone who eats, to oppose this. If you think this doesn't affect you because you don't own any farm equipment, wait till the increase in costs is reflected in the increase in prices at the grocery store. 

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©2011 Sandy Davis | American Way Farm