No, the farmer didn’t forget to harvest that strip of land this fall. That corn is going to be a barrier between blowing snow and cars on the road this winter.

The Standing Corn Snow Fence Program sponsored by the Iowa Department of Transportation has been a tool to keep snow drifts off of roads for the past 20 years, according to Craig Bargfrede, winter operations administrator for the Iowa DOT.

“It helps us to lower the amount of resources from both an equipment and material standpoint and a labor standpoint for clearing those areas,” Bargfrede said.

He said the DOT targets areas known to have high amounts of snow drifts in the winter.

-Messenger photo by Michaela Frerichs
The Iowa DOT sponsors a Standing Corn Snow Fence Program that pays Iowa farmers a premium to keep several rows of corn standing in their fields that run along roads that often see a lot of blowing snow in the winter.

“The goal is to reduce the blowing and drifting, increase visibility for the traveling public and overall make the road safer,” Bargfrede said.

In addition to helping bolster safer winter roads, the standing corn fences also provide good habitat for local wildlife, Bargfrede said.

The standing corn fences are usually eight to 12 rows wide, he said.

The program operates from the local DOT garage level — staff from the local DOT garage will identify roadways in the county that experience higher dangers during the winter from winds blowing snow over the road. If there’s a cornfield nearby that could be used to block some of the snow from drifting onto the road, DOT staff will reach out to the land owner to talk about the Standing Corn Snow Fence Program.

Land owners are paid $2 above market price per bushel of corn they keep standing in their fields, Bargfrede said, and they’re free to decline the request from the DOT.

“Ultimately, it is their decision because it is their land and their crop,” he said. “But the farmers who do work with us, not only are they getting a premium, but they’re doing a good service to their community and to their neighbors.”

On U.S. Highway 169, farmer Lyle Faiferlick agreed to leave several rows of his corn up to create a snow fence for this winter.

“The DOT approached me this fall when I started to harvest,” he said. “I’ve heard about it and seen it before, and in the few times I’ve seen it, I was kind of impressed with it. So I figured it won’t hurt to give it a try one time.”

Unfortunately, the recent strong winds that have blown across central Iowa have already blown down some of the corn fence, Faiferlick said. He added that he’s hopeful the remaining standing corn fence will be effective for the rest of winter.

“We’ll give it a try this year and see how it works out and maybe try it again another year or two,” he said.

Faiferlick will leave the corn stalks up through spring, when he’ll harvest what’s left standing and till the land in preparation for planting season.