Dry weather causes safety problems for Minnesota farmers

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Dry weather and heat are creating a safety hazard for Minnesota farmers, and with harvest season underway, the number of reported combine fires has been increasing.
“It’s crazy. We did have a very wet spring and now we are seeing one of the driest Septembers we’ve had in a while,” said Emily Krekelberg, of the University of Minnesota Extension in Rochester.
Dry field conditions have allowed farmers to get a jump on fall harvest. But that comes with a catch, as Minnesota actually leads the nation in combine fires.
“We combine a lot of our crops up here. We are one of the biggest agricultural states in the nation, so we have more agriculture, and we have more combines out in the field,” said Krekelberg.
Krekelberg says the fires are caused by heat, dry plant material and even the occasional fuel line leak. That combination can quickly turn a productive field day into a dash for safety.
“We’ve had three or four in Minnesota or the surrounding border in the past week,” said Krekelberg.
Nationwide, it’s estimated that more than 50 people a year are injured in combine fires, resulting in more than $20 million in damages.
Farmers who have experienced these in the past, know they can happen without warning.
Even though farmers work fast, Krekelberg recommends taking time to clean out plant debris from machinery. Turning a combine into a sort of fire truck, with fire extinguishers inside and outside the cab, could save both the driver and the combine.
“When we are running a combine for 10, 12, 14 hours a day, that’s when we again, get a lot of dry plant material built up and that engine compartment gets really, really hot,” said Krekelberg.
Experts say that another reason combine fires can be so destructive is because they can spread quickly, and most farm fields aren’t near a water source.