ST. PAUL, Minn. – Farmers statewide have the opportunity as they begin planting
this spring to play a part in creating safer road conditions next winter by
participating in the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s Living Snow Fence
program.
Under the program, MnDOT pays farm operators to leave
standing corn rows, hay bales or silage bags to effectively reduce snow from
blowing onto selected state highways. The program agreement typically requires
farmers to leave six rows of corn stalks standing
approximately 200 feet from the highway centerline.
“The safety benefits of the Living Snow Fence program on
local highways are extensive,” said Dan Gullickson, MnDOT’s Living Snow Fence
Program coordinator. “Standing corn rows are effective in reducing the amount
of snow blowing onto highways. They increase driver visibility, provide safer
driving conditions and allow traffic to flow.”
Recent research by MnDOT, the University of Minnesota
Extension and the University of Minnesota Center for Transportation Studies
shows standing corn rows reduced the severity of injuries on curves by 40
percent.
MnDOT identified 3,700 state highway sites that have snow
and blowing snow problems. Blowing and drifting snow on Minnesota highways is a
major safety concern.
“The Living Snow Fence program is a great way for us to give
back to our community and be an advocate for safer driving conditions in the
winter,” said Louise Kiecker, a farmer in Fairfax, Minn. “Our family and
friends travel that road daily and they know that this stretch of the highway
will be clear. I really see our participation in the program as a public
service.”
In addition to improving winter driving conditions, living
snow fences help save taxpayer dollars. MnDOT snowplow operators use fewer
resources (such as salt, sand and chemicals) on these roadways than they have
in the past, resulting in fewer truck trips, less fuel consumption and fewer
impacts to the environment.
“We really strive for a targeted approach for living snow
fence locations,” Gullickson said. “We specifically choose the areas that use
extra snow and ice removal resources.”
Working in partnership with MnDOT and the University of
Minnesota Extension, farmers are compensated on a per acre basis using a “Snow
Cost Benefit Tool” developed by the University of Minnesota Extension.
“This tool is designed to assess agricultural and MnDOT
expenses to determine a fair and reasonable incentive payment for the farmer or
landowner,” said Gary Wyatt, University of Minnesota Extension educator.
“Farmers should also be aware that standing corn rows can be
handpicked in the fall by youth (4-H, FFA, etc.) or adult groups for the corn
or a donation to the organization,” Wyatt said.
Farmers or landowners who want more information about the
standing corn row program can visit www.mndot.gov/environment/livingsnowfence/.
