Farmers Asked To Plant Corn Rows To Act As Snow Fences

As the snow melts, it can also be blown across roads and highways making it difficult to travel. To combat this, the Minnesota Department of Transportation is asking growers to consider joining the standing corn rows program to help control the drifting snow.

MnDOT pays farmers on a per acre basis to leave standing corn rows on selected state roads in areas that are eligible for the program. A typical standing corn row treatment is about a quarter-mile long and one acre in size, with 12 rows of corn left standing parallel with the highway. MnDOT’s compensation in the past with land owners ranges from $1,000 to $2,000 dollars depending on the severity of the blowing and drifting snow problem and average daily traffic counts in the area being protected.

“We want to work with farmers before spring planting to make sure they select seed varieties with insect and disease resistant traits and have stalks that will hold up well in the winter,” said Dan Gullickson, MnDOT’s snow control program coordinator.

Farmers and landowners in west central Minnesota who want more information about the standing corn row program can contact Kohl Skalin at [email protected] or 218-846-7943. Additional information about the program is at mndot.gov/d4/snowfence and mndot.gov/environment/livingsnowfence/.