CENTRAL ILLINOIS (WCIA) — As people start to see combines in Central Illinois fields, others are calling for them to be careful around them as part of Farm Safety Week.

Agriculture is one of the leading industries in Illinois and the two biggest seasons for farmer are the spring and the fall. It’s the start of the latter season, which means there will be a lot of heavy machinery on the roads until the end of the harvest.

Those farmers aren’t alone. Other drivers are on the road as well.

Illinois State Trooper Josh Robinson spoke on how those two groups can manage to be safe while sharing the space.

“They can’t travel very fast, so we just want to remind motorists that they need to allow extra time to get where they’re going during harvest season,” Robinson said. “They need to maybe plan their route before they go, kind of like during busy holiday traffic or in inclement weather. They might want to take a different route so that they don’t have to worry about getting stuck behind slow moving equipment

Robinson said farmers should pull over if there’s a line of traffic behind them, but they should do it safely.

But Farm Safety Week isn’t just for nonfarmers driving through rural roads: it’s also for the farmers themselves. Bethany Huelskoetter was raised on a farm and she had some tips as well.

“Make sure you know all the emergency shutoffs for your equipment,” she said. “Just in case an emergency does happen, then you’re able to stop the equipment immediately to prevent any further injury.”

As a farmer’s daughter, she wants everyone to remain safe during harvest and make this season better for both farmers and drivers.

Following these steps will help keep everyone in the community safe.