It’s 5:00 a.m., and Miguel Villafana is awake. Hot coffee in hand, he looks over the potato and sugar beet fields he farms and breathes in the sweet, earthy air. In this pre-dawn moment, the world is quiet but for his breathing.
A couple hours from now, he’ll eat pancakes around the table with his wife Camas and their three young children (soon to be four!). Perhaps later, his eldest daughter, Dalia, will join him for a tractor drive—one of the seven-year-old’s favorite activities.
In this moment, though, it’s still. The scent of soil, the open stretch of sky over the farmland, the tasks ahead of surveying, checking irrigation, and planning for the day with his employees—all of it is as familiar to him as the seasons.
“This is what I saw every single day growing up in Aberdeen and farming with my Dad,” he said. “And I loved it. Ever since I can remember, this was my dream.”
Miguel chased this dream through college, where he studied agribusiness at Utah State University and then became an ag lender. Along the way, he met and married Camas, a “city girl” from Boise.
“I want you to know,” he said, only a week after meeting, “My dream is to be a potato farmer.”
“Well, I know nothing about farming,” she replied. “But I like country music. And I’ve always wanted to live in the country.”
When he found out they were expecting their first child, he knew it was time to buy a farm.
“I want our kids to experience everything I did, I’m not going to force them into farming, but I want them to have that same upbringing I did, because I loved it.”
They purchased their first piece of farmland: 20 acres in Wilder, Idaho. The following year, they expanded to 100 acres. Nearly eight years later, Villafana Farms now encompasses 525 acres of potatoes, sugar beets, and grain forage crops.
“I never gave up on the dream,” Miguel said. “As tough as it seemed and at one point, almost impossible—I just kept with it.”
Living the dream means sharing the road
While Miguel has long loved the art of farming, one aspect is particularly stressful—moving massive farm equipment along rural roads and highways. As convenient as it would be for farming equipment never to leave the field, the reality is that many farms are spread across multiple locations, requiring farmers to use highways and rural roads alongside everyday traffic.
“Every time we get on the road, we hope everything goes fine. But it’s very stressful,” Miguel said.
When they need to transport equipment, Miguel takes every precaution. He plans the route and time so they are least likely to encounter traffic. He checks that lights are working, reflectors are clean, tires are aired, and hydraulics aren’t leaking. If the implement hangs into other lanes, he flags the edges and, if possible, has a pilot car out front to warn drivers.
Many of these steps are legal requirements for Idaho farmers. On an episode of Idaho Farm Bureau Federation’s Dirt Road Discussions podcast, Corporal Cory Juber, an Idaho State Police Trooper, shared the regulations and recommendations:
- Anything wider than the lane (over 8.5 feet) must have a flag on it
- Flags must be a minimum of 18×18 inches square
- Flags need to be hooked on the far left projection of the implement
- Pilot cars are not legally necessary but help alert other drivers to slow-moving farm equipment
- If more than three cars are stacked behind you, try to pull aside and let them pass as soon as it’s safe for your equipment and where the other vehicles have visibility.
Juber emphasized that the most important thing for farmers is marking the equipment to increase visibility—especially any edges that protrude into oncoming traffic.
“Those edges can be really hard to see until you’re right on top of them,” he said.
Yet, even the flags, caution lights, and reflectors aren’t enough if a driver is distracted. One day, during planting season, Miguel and his team were driving a cultivator down the highway. The implement was as far off the road as possible, with flags and caution lights on. Nevertheless, a driver coming the opposite way failed to see it and smashed into the implement at 60mph.
“I thought the driver died, It was a terrifying moment for him and his crew.”
Thankfully, the man survived. But they found he was unlicensed and uninsured, leaving Miguel with the cost of repairing the implement and a significant spike in insurance. Financial blows like these can be devastating for family farms.
“We’re depending on the profitability of our operation not just to feed our own family but to continue producing—keep food stocked in grocery stores nationally and even globally,” Miguel said. “If people can understand that the need to transport equipment allows us to put food on the table, I think it would help a lot.”
The Leading Causes Behind Farming Equipment-Related Crashes
Data shows a concerning uptick in farming equipment-related crashes in recent years. Between 2019 and 2023, there were 278 crashes involving farming equipment in Idaho, eight of which were fatal, and 18 with serious injuries. These numbers show a spike in incidents between 2020 and 2022, when Idaho saw a dramatic increase in population.
Jesse Barrus, a District Engineer in south central Idaho, pays close attention to how farming equipment and commuters interact on the road. He maintains 2,321 lane miles, which includes the fertile farmlands of the Snake River plain; it’s not uncommon to see 18-wheeler trucks hauling dairy, potatoes, sugar beets, or corn on the highway. (In fact, it’s his team that cleans spilled potatoes off the highway when a truck overturns.)
Over nearly a decade in the field, Barrus has noticed a few contributing factors to farming equipment-related crashes. Yes, he’s noticed Idaho roads have grown busier as the population has increased. He’s also noticed that the size of farming implements has grown, making it harder for drivers to move around them.
But far and away, the most common contributing factor is unsafe driving behavior. Namely:
- Driving distracted, and thus failing to slow down in time
- Being impatient and making rash decisions
Contributing Cause #1: Distracted Driving
One major problem, Barrus said, is that drivers don’t realize the “differential speed” between their fast-moving vehicle and slow-moving farming equipment.
“If that differential is big enough, the potential of a crash increases,” Barrus said. “You exacerbate that by being distracted.”
Distance closes faster than you think; if you look down for five seconds while traveling 55 mph, you’ve gone the length of the football field.
Farming equipment typically moves between 14 and 30 mph, depending on size and weight. If you’re going 70 mph and slam on the brakes, it will take you approximately 5 seconds to stop. If you’re distracted and don’t notice the farm equipment, you might not have that kind of time. This is when crashes occur, such as a driver running into the back of a potato truck or colliding with a tractor pulling into the road.
“If I’m on a tractor on the highway, I’m just crossing my fingers. Because if a car is going 70 miles per hour and the driver is not paying attention, they won’t have enough time to stop,” Miguel said.
Contributing Cause #2: Impatience
Barrus and Corporal Juber have also observed a lack of patience as a contributing cause. Drivers are eager to get around the slow-moving equipment and will try to pass in no-pass zones, which is both illegal and dangerous.
“I’ve seen, personally, the majority of crashes happen when people get impatient and make rash decisions that aren’t the best. It ends up in a catastrophic collision,” Juber said.
Six Essential Tips for Sharing the Road
Let’s get practical—how are commuters and farmers supposed to share the road? Here are our top six tips:
Farmers:
- Do everything you can to be visible. Flag your implements, especially any edges that protrude outside of your lane. Use a pilot car when possible. Ensure your equipment is always lit up and visible and has proper reflectors.
- Be predictable and overcommunicate. As a commuter, Jesse notes that it’s sometimes hard to tell when a tractor is turning right or left. If hazards are on, you can’t see the turn signal. Sometimes, operators make hand signs. Whatever your method, communicate what you are doing as clearly as possible.
Commuters:
- Drive engaged and sloooowww down. Driving engaged means eyes up and phone down. Stay attentive. Barrus warns against the “false sense of security” on rural roads, which can lead drivers to relax and get distracted. This is when the worst crashes happen; 75% of fatal crashes occur on rural roads.
“On rural roads, drivers go into an auto-pilot,” he said. “Really, what we need is for people to be on high alert.”
Driving engaged gives you plenty of time to slow down for farming equipment on the road. And when you see those big machines
- Give them space. These machines are no joke. They’re crucial for any farming operation and often cost up to half a million dollars. Plus, they’re massive. One of Miguel’s implements is a 12-row planter that is 22 feet wide and weighs 6,100 pounds. That’s as heavy as a small elephant and as wide as half a basketball court.
Machines this size also come with lots of blind spots. A good rule of thumb is to leave 50 feet of space between you and the farming equipment in front of you. This way, they are more likely to see you, and you’ll have more time to react or see when it’s safe to pass.
- Be patient. We get it. Everyone’s trying to get somewhere, and it’s frustrating when farm machinery (or anything, for that matter) slows you down. But transportation officials agree: patience is key. Remember that everyone is trying to do their job and get where they want to go. Rather than make a risky pass, find the patience to wait until it’s safe.
“Just because they [farming equipment] are slow doesn’t give you permission to make dangerous maneuvers or pass in a no-pass zone,” Corporal Juber said. “Be patient. There will be a time where you can safely pass.”
Following a tractor for a few miles may feel like it’s taking forever, but the delay is often minimal. For instance, following a tractor for two miles at 20 mph takes about six minutes, about the same as waiting for two stoplights.
Farmers will look for areas to pull over safely and let traffic pass. In the meantime, it’s best to follow at a safe distance and practice patience. Aggressive driving and risky maneuvers are simply not worth the risk. - Give yourself extra travel time during planting and harvest season. Because we live in an agricultural state, we can encounter farm equipment on the road throughout the year. However, the likelihood increases during the major planting and harvest seasons:
- Early Spring, Late Spring — planting season
- Fall — harvest season
When traveling near agricultural areas, being prepared to slow down is crucial. Farm access roads are in use, and farming equipment might pull onto the highway from unexpected access points. It’s wise to factor in these delays and leave the house earlier during planting and harvest seasons.
In doing so, you’re supporting farmers during their busiest time of year. Like Ott Clark, a farmer and co-host of Dirt Road Discussions, said, “Give that guy an extra five minutes. He’s working hard that day.”
Thank You For Supporting Idaho’s Independent Farmers
Agriculture is part of Idaho’s lifeblood. It impacts our state; a 2024 study by the University of Idaho found that agribusiness is directly and indirectly responsible for 13 percent of Idaho’s total gross state product, 17 percent of its total economic output, and one in every nine jobs. And it impacts our planet; every year, billions of dollars worth of ag production are grown and shipped from Idaho farms to around the world—from potatoes to peppermint oil. The Treasure Valley is one of the world’s biggest seed production areas.
The truth is, we need Idaho farmers. The world needs Idaho farmers. Their hard work keeps grocery shelves stocked and food on the table.
“The overall footprint of agriculture creates so many jobs for Idahoans and has such a big impact nationally and globally,” Miguel said. “It’s incredibly important to protect the agriculture here. It’s incredibly important that we share the road with farm equipment.”
As Idaho continues to grow, so do the challenges with farming operations. The solution, Miguel says, is learning to work together.
“We have a robust agricultural economy—and we can coexist. Tractors and implements, sharing the road with commuters,” he said.
Perhaps working together starts with the old idiom, “Walk a mile in their shoes.” Or, in this case, “Drive a mile in their tractor.” The next time you’re behind farm equipment on your morning commute, remember Miguel—awake and working since 5 am to feed families across Idaho and the country. Five minutes of patience on the road can make all the difference—not just for safety, but for the future of Idaho agriculture.
