As producers perform maintenance on roadway ditches by mowing or cutting them for hay, Angie Johnson, North Dakota State University Extension farm and ranch safety specialist, urges farmers and ranchers to put safety first.

“Ditches pose many hazards when it comes to maintaining them,” says Johnson. “The steep slopes, soft spots, culverts, washouts and roadside trash such as shredded tire pieces are all threats that can make mowing or haying extremely dangerous.”

Before mowing or haying ditches, Johnson recommends that farmers and ranchers inspect road ditches and take the following actions:

• Mark out areas where culverts are present but may be tough to see while mowing or cutting for hay.
• Plan for road signs, mailboxes, power poles and unusual obstructions, such as stakes, wire flags or other markers that may have been placed by county and state highway departments in anticipation of road maintenance.
• Check for standing water and steep embankments to avoid areas where there is a high potential to get equipment stuck or the potential to roll the tractor in an area that is too steep.
• Walk through ditches to pick up any litter, rubber tires or other odd items discarded or lost by traveling motorists to help avoid equipment damage and garbage in your hay.

Mowing or haying ditches poses unique safety concerns year-round due to the highly variable slope of the surfaces. Unsafe practices or conditions can cause equipment wear and tear, costly damage, injuries or even death.

Johnson says the first line of defense when mowing or haying ditches is to use a tractor with a fully enclosed cab or rollover protection system (ROPS) bar and seatbelt.

“In an open cab tractor, a ROPS bar in combination with a seat belt can protect you from being thrown and becoming pinned underneath tractor tires in the event the tractor tips or rolls due to the steep conditions of a ditch,” says Johnson.

The National ROPS Rebate Program may help recover the costs of purchasing and installing a ROPS bar. Visit https://www.ropsr4u.org/ for more information.

Johnson offers other important safety practices related to equipment:

• Utilize dual rear wheels on the tractor to add balance and stability.
• If using a tractor with a loader to mow or hay ditches, keep the loader low to prevent the tractor from overturning.
• If using a disc or rotary mower, ensure safety features, such as tractor window guards/rock screens, mower chain guards or mower curtains, are installed to prevent flying debris from hitting the tractor operator.
• When windrowing ditch hay to prepare it for baling, place the windrow in the most level portion of the ditch, if possible. Avoid baling hay on the steep slope of the ditch to prevent equipment from overturning.
• If baling ditch hay, use the right-sized baler for the size and power of the tractor. Most round balers have a high center of gravity, increasing the chance of tipping over, especially if one of the baler’s tires drops into an unseen hole or culvert.
• Maintain equipment by greasing and lubricating bearings and chains.
• Check for any baler belt tears, missing pickup teeth and bands, discoloration of paint near the roller bearings (a sign of heat damage, which could mean a faulty bearing needs to be replaced), wrapped-up twine or netwrap in rollers, and any additional preventative maintenance steps that the baler’s operator manual provides.
• For square baling ditch hay, keep an eye on the baler’s knotters and never attempt to work on the baler while the power takeoff (PTO) is engaged or when the flywheel is still in motion.

For all mowing and haying equipment, ensure all safety shields are in place, the PTO is disengaged (with the tractor off) and safety locks are applied when performing maintenance and repairs.

When mowing or haying ditches, Johnson recommends keeping the following safety concerns in mind:

• Be visible. When you are ready to start, make sure you are using hazard lights and turn signals to let motorists know where you are going.
• Have a slow-moving vehicle sign on your tractor and implement that is visible to motorists behind you.
• If you have to weave onto the road to avoid hitting road signs or mailboxes while mowing or haying ditches, stop, watch for traffic and only approach the road when no motorists are present.
• When picking up small square bales of ditch hay off the shoulder of the road to be loaded and stacked onto a trailer, wear safety clothing so you are visible to motorists and trailer drivers at all times.
• Use an air compressor to blow dry matter, such as leaves, dust and plant stems, off the baler after every 50 to 75 round bales made to help reduce the risk of fire.
• Check the operator’s manual to determine how often to grease and lubricate equipment for routine maintenance.
• Have a working fire extinguisher along, as well as a cellphone in case you need to call for help.
• Bring plenty of water to stay hydrated.
• Let someone know where you are and how long you plan to be mowing or haying.

Maintaining roadway ditches takes time and money. If used for baling, ditch hay is expensive enough as it is, given the amount of equipment, labor and hazardous conditions present in each ditch.

Johnson recommends taking the time to plan and evaluate the risks versus benefits of baling ditch hay.

“The bales produced from it are not worth losing a life. Even mowing ditches is dangerous,” says Johnson. “Reaching for those extra blades of grass with the mower is not worth damaging equipment or risking a life.”

For more farm and ranch safety tips, visit ndsu.ag/farm-safety-26.

NDSU Agriculture Communication – July 30, 2026

Source: Angie Johnson, 701-231-1873, angela.b.johnson@ndsu.edu

Editor: Dominic Erickson, 701-231-5546, dominic.erickson@ndsu.edu