It was a little crisp Saturday, February 24th, at 8:00 a.m. when I tended to my chickens and heard the familiar drone of snowmobiles. I rarely hear snowmobiles so early in the day. Minutes later on the way to the hay barn I passed two separate groups of riders, about 10 total. I was amazed at the number of snowmobilers I saw that day.
I vividly remember the late 70’s and how the snowmobilers enjoyed those snowy winters. After that it seemed like the fields were bare for the next 3 decades. Anyone with a sled had to go north to enjoy it. For much of my life it seemed like strong winds tended to follow snowfall, and the fields would blow bare while the roads/ditches and yards were full of snow. My observation has been that over the last 10 years we have had some heavier snowfalls and less wind after many of our snows.
I have witnessed that the last 3 weeks were very good for sledding. First, a base of heavy, wet snow covered much of the land; especially all the stubble left in farmers fields. Then multiple snows piled on the white powder, and the lack of wind kept most of Will County covered with 8”-16” of snowpack.
That Saturday The Symerton Tap sponsored a snowmobile fundraiser for a local youth. Participants started with biscuits and gravy for breakfast, visited multiple locations throughout the day and had dinner that night. Over $6,000.00 was raised. Who needs to take a side trip to Wisconsin or Michigan when the conditions are right in your own backyard? I can only speculate how much a snowmobiler spends during a trip to the north woods. I was glad to see them get to enjoy the sleds at home and raise money for a good cause. Later that day I got a call by someone concerned about all the snowmobiles. Can they drive through your fields? Where did they all come from? Doesn’t that hurt the fields?
Here are my thoughts. It certainly isn’t legal to trespass on the farmers’ fields. It is almost as expected as it is for everyone on the highway to be going over the speed limit. It probably isn’t hurting the fields, in most cases. Just like everyone knows the lawn fanatic who doesn’t want anyone to step on their lawn, there are farmers that do not want anyone on their land under any circumstances.
The fields are mostly barren; there really isn’t anything the snowmobiles can hurt. I say mostly, because I have seen wheat fields that can be damaged by the tracks in the field. It only happens under certain conditions and the damage is usually mild. However, I have also seen serious damage where the rest of the season the wheat crop could be stunted and the tracks still visible into harvest.
Running parallel to a road going south out of Manhattan there was so much sled traffic they packed a trail at least 50 feet wide. If that field was planted in wheat, I suspect the crop would have been seriously damaged. Even thought the wheat is dormant, it still needs to breathe some; and that is not easy under packed snow or ice. I do not feel that any of the snowmobilers would willingly hurt someone’s property. You could clearly see where they would cross the road or swing far into the fields to avoid any residential lawns they would encounter.
I feel fortunate that my two wheat fields were not in major traffic areas for all the snowmobilers this last month. Now that I am growing more wheat, I will hope for less snow next winter. After this year, I will probably not be the only one wishing the same next year. I may even have to consider where to plant wheat based on the traffic patterns I saw this winter.
0 Comments