By JANE HOUIN
Ohio Correspondent

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Technology has revolutionized the way Ohioans farm, and last week the Ohio House has passed legislation to address one of those technological changes.

Ohio HB 9 was passed by a 97-0 margin. The plan makes changes to state law to accommodate farmers who use newer tractors which are built to travel at speeds higher than traditional tractors. The bill is sponsored by Rep. Jim Carmichael, R-Wooster.

According to the Legislative Services Commission, under current law, farm machinery is exempt from the definition of “motor vehicle.”

Thus, units of farm machinery such as tractors are not required to have all the equipment that a passenger car is required to have, such as turn signals.

Farm machinery cannot be operated on public streets or roads faster than 25 miles per hour and must display an approved triangular, orange slow-moving vehicle (SMV) emblem when being operated there.

A person is not required to possess a driver’s license to operate farm machinery on a public street or road; normally this occurs when the farm machinery is moved from one field to another.

The bill permits any unit of farm machinery that is designed by its manufacturer to operate at a speed greater than 25 mph (“fast farm machinery”) to travel on a public street or road faster than 25 mph so long as the unit displays both an SMV emblem and a special speed identification symbol. In addition, the operator of a unit of fast farm machinery who wishes to travel on a public street or road faster than 25 mph must have a valid driver’s or commercial driver’s license.

Finally, the bill makes changes in relevant definitions.

Under current law, a farm truck driver is exempt from obtaining a commercial driver’s license (CDL), however, if the driver is operating more than 150 miles from the farm or place of business and is employed in one of the farm-related service industries requiring the person to operate a commercial motor vehicle, then that driver is required to obtain a CDL Farm Waiver License.

Last September at Farm Science Review, OSU researchers conducted a survey, where farmers were asked their opinions on high-speed tractors.

Wayne Dellinger, OSU Program Coordinator of Agricultural Safety and Health, put together a survey that asked farmers if they owned one of these high-speed tractors, if they feel a unique symbol would be appropriate, if they thought the SMV emblem, the slow moving vehicle emblem, belonged on a tractor that was going more than 25 mph.

Dellinger reported that 92 percent of the respondents thought this topic was “moderate to very important” to them. He said 62 percent thought a unique identification symbol belonged on these tractors if they are going to go more than 25 mph. And 60 percent thought that the SMV symbol also belonged on these tractors going more than 25 mph.

This farm news was published in the May 16, 2007 issue of Farm World, serving Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan and Tennessee.