MITCHELL COUNTY, IA--
The recent string of rain free days means farmers are hustling out to their fields to harvest. However, some in Mitchell County are still waiting--not because of the weather, but because of their farming equipment.“A farmer with steel wheels called me because he had concerns about how he was going to harvest his crops,” said State Representative Mark Kuhn, a Charles City Democrat.
Mitchell County recently passed an ordinance banning the use of steel or metal wheels with pieces sticking out, on their roads. “Continuous usage of this type of nature is going to eventually put wheel ruts into the road,” said Mitchell County Supervisor Stan Walk.
And since they recently spent about $9 million making road improvements--they are looking to make them to last. “We must maintain the integrity of our roads,” said Walk.
The only problem is there are farmers in the county who use machinery with steel wheels because of religious beliefs. This includes some area Mennonites. We've talked with them in the past--and they said they feel targeted by this ordinance.
“The ordinance prevented farmers with steel wheels in Mitchell county from traveling to and from their farmstead if they had to cross a hard surface road,” said Rep. Kuhn. Rep. Kuhn said that left them with the choice of violating the ordinance or not harvesting their crop. That's why he and the board of supervisors are meeting with a farmer's representative and other officials on Friday to explore a possible compromise.
“They're going to abide by the law and if we can't come to any agreement they'll have to figure out some other way to get their crops out of their fields,” said Rep. Kuhn. Until then, 'farmers with steel wheels' will continue to wait.
