With harvest getting underway, Sask. is reminding everyone to be vigilant

Harvest safety top of mind WATCH: Saskatchewan’s Ag minister visited a Regina area farm to remind residents to stay safe during harvest.

As harvest gets underway for many farmers across Saskatchewan – the province is reminding everyone to be vigilant and stay safe.

Agriculture Minister David Marit visited the Heenan family farm south of Grand Coulee Monday morning.

The family has a fairly good crop in the field with the potential for one of their largest harvests in years.

It will take months of work to get their crops in the bin – which of course means many long days over the next couple of months.

The race that is harvest means lots of heavy equipment moving on both roads and highways around the province.

On top of that, hot weather in July put additional stress on crops.

“It was in the 30s this past month, but in the 1980s, which was a long time ago, we had sustained heat like that in the 40s, so this isn’t anything new," farmer Dale Heenan said on Monday.

Over the course of the event, Marit reminded drivers to be vigilant and mindful of the size of some of the equipment that farmers will be moving on roads and highways.

“If they can pull off onto an approach and let the equipment move by it’s obviously best for everybody, Marit said, adding its becoming more common to see headers that are 50 feet wide.

He also said that agriculture is still the “granddaddy” of the province’s economy, with $20 billion in exports heading out to more than 150 countries around the world.