As farmers across the U.S. wrap up the fall harvest, state departments of transportation are busy preparing for winter weather.
The Iowa Department of Transportation (IDOT) and the state’s farmers have worked together since the 1980s to help reduce the buildup of snow and ice on roadways. Oct. 15 marked the official start of IDOT’s winter season.
“As combines sweep through golden fields and pumpkins find their way from patches to porches, the harvest of Iowa’s autumn bounty is underway,” IDOT noted in a post on the agency’s website. “But while you’re savoring the season of Friday night football and everything pumpkin spice, the Iowa DOT is already preparing for everything snow and ice.
“We planted an idea more than 40 years ago that continues to grow and help contain winter elements — the Standing Corn Snow Fence Program,” the post continued.
A win-win for travelers, farmers and IDOT
Through the program, participating farmers are paid to leave specific rows of corn standing along highways in open, wind-prone areas at the end of harvest season. The rows form natural wind blocks, helping to slow reduce the amount of snow drifting across rural roads, helping to keep the routes drivable. In addition, the spaces between the rows can provide valuable shelter for wildlife, IDOT says.
According to IDOT, not only are farmers compensated, but they also receive the added benefit of increased soil moisture from the melting snow. The partnership benefits the state by reducing snow removal costs and improving road safety. Motorists win when they gain access to their communities during the winter for jobs, schools, medical care, groceries and other supplies.
How does it work?
Participating farmers leave between six and 24 rows of corn standing along roadways, typically 100-200 feet or more to provide adequate drift formation.
IDOT pays each farmer for the unharvested corn, based on assumed yield, using the statewide average cash price as of Aug. 1 of each year — plus an additional $2 per bushel. This year participating farmers will receive a total of $5.75 per bushel.
According to DOT Winter Operations Administrator, Craig Bargfrede, these living snow fences are proven to protect the environment and decrease costs with lower salt use, fewer truck trips and less fuel consumption.
“Studies show that plowing snow costs 100 times more than trapping it with a snow fence, so these partnerships really pay off,” he said. “Farmers who participate in the program are performing a valuable public service because these snow fences can also help maintain clear roadways for their communities by capturing blowing snow upwind of a problem area and storing that snow over the winter season.”
The Standing Corn Snow Fence Program is about more than money or snow; it’s about partnership, Bargfrede says.
“Farmers know their land. We know the roads. Together, we can identify the best spots for snow fences and even collaborate on which corn hybrids are most resilient to constant winter winds,” he said, adding that some farmers go the extra mile, teaming up to harvest the snow fence rows in spring or donating the corn to local causes.
Benefits beyond the road
According to IDOT, the program’s benefits don’t stop at the roadside; they extend to sheltering ecosystems and improved soil health. The standing rows and contained snowdrifts help provide:
- Wildlife habitat during the cold months;
- Improved soil moisture in end rows; and
- Reduced soil erosion from wind and snow.
Standing Bale Fence Program
Landowners whose roadside fields are either fallow or planted with crops other than corn can participate in IDOT’s Standing Bale Fence Program. Participants line up bales end-to-end to form wind breaks, and will be compensated $1 per linear foot of bale running parallel along a susceptible roadway. Bales are typically placed about 200 feet from the edge of the roadway.
For more information about IDOT’s Standing Corn Fence Snow Program, reach out the nearest IDOT maintenance garage. Contact information can be found here.
Linda Garner-Bunch has been with The Trucker since 2020, picking up the reins as managing editor in 2022. Linda has nearly 40 years of experience in the publishing industry, covering topics from the trucking and automotive industry to employment, real estate, home decor, crafts, cooking, weddings, high school sports — you name it, she’s written about it. She is also an experienced photographer, designer and copy editor who has a heartfelt love for the trucking industry, from the driver’s seat to the C-suite.
