Snow, Corn, and Driving
A Dow Jones article from September 21, 2006 tells an interesting story about three seeming unconnected topics: snow, corn, and driving. The connection: University of Minnesota researchers, working with the Minnesota Department of Transportation, to augment farm income and make winter driving safer in rural Minnesota. A typical story of engaged research.
Minnesota DOT To Pay Farmers To Leave Corn Stalks StandingCHICAGO (Dow Jones)--The Minnesota Department of Transportation will pay farmers to leave corn stalks standing along roadsides in an effort to improve winter driving conditions.
The state's transportation department said it will pay $3.30 a bushel to farmers that are willing to leave at least eight rows of corn stalks standing in snowdrift areas.
These "living snow fences" help improve driver visibility and road surface conditions and will help save money, especially with high fuel costs, the department said Monday in a press release.
The department said it is "looking for farmers with fields to the north and west of state highways where there is a demonstrated drifting problem in the windblown maintenance area of southwestern and south central Minnesota."
A University of Minnesota study conducted during the 2000-01 winter found that as much as nine tons of snow can be captured per lineal foot of standing corn stalks, the release said.