Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds signs harvest weight proclamation

Sep 19, 2017

Trucks can carry up to 90,000 pounds until Nov. 17

By Diego Flammini
News Reporter
Farms.com

More Iowa grain can be moved at once thanks to a temporary proclamation by Governor Kim Reynolds on Monday.

The proclamation, which is in place until Nov. 17, allows transport vehicles to be overweight without the need for a permit.

“I am pleased to sign this proclamation allowing Iowa farmers to move their crops in an effective and efficient manner,” Gov. Reynolds said in yesterday’s release. “Farmers are a critical component of our state’s economy, and this proclamation ensures they’re able to transport their crops ahead of deteriorating weather conditions.”

Vehicles in Iowa usually need a permit if the gross weight is more than 80,000 pounds, according to the Iowa Department of Transportation.

Under the Governor’s proclamation, trucks can carry a gross weight of up to 90,000 pounds without a permit.

And being able to move those 10,000 extra pounds can have a number of benefits, says Mark Recker, president of the Iowa Corn Growers Association.

The proclamation “allows harvest to speed up a little bit,” he told Farms.com today. “Farmers can get into their fields, combine a little faster and hopefully beat out any bad weather that tends to show up in Iowa in November.”

Corn farmers in Iowa grew 2.74 billion bushels of corn in 2016, according to the USDA. That number was 9 percent above the previous record of 2.51 billion bushels in 2015.

And soybean farmers in Iowa produced 572 million bushels in 2016, topping the previous record of 554 million bushels in 2015.

With farmers averaging higher yields, they’ll need the extra weight capacities.

“There’s so much grain to move,” Recker said. “Our harvests have gotten bigger and bigger over the years so it’s critical farmers have this temporary change in the law.”

2017 isn’t the first year Iowa’s Governor has signed this kind of proclamation.

Governors have implemented similar temporary law changes since at least 2011.

Top photo: JMichl

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