Damaged roadway leads county to
question farm tractor

By Carrie A. Mizell

Don Bennick, owner of North Florida Holsteins, answered Gilchrist County Commissioners’ concerns on Monday that his farm’s nearly 50,000 pound tractor is damaging County Road 232.
The commissioners asked Bennick to attend the county commission meeting after Billy Cannon, road department superintendent, received a number of complaints that Bennick’s tractor is destroying the edge of the newly paved highway.
Bennick responded to the complaints by pointing out that a number of other vehicles travel County Road 232 each day, including log trucks and trucks pulling horse trailers in and out of Gilcrest Farms. Bennick suggested that these heavy vehicles also wear on the highway.

Commissioner Sharon Langford told Bennick that the commissioners are not only concerned about the damage that is being done to the highway the county just paid to have re-paved, but also the safety issue with having deteriorating edges along the highway causing a drop-off.
“We’re trying to keep an accident from happening,” Langford said.
Bennick told commissioners that he has spent between $200,000 and $250,000 getting the flotation weight distributed just right over the tractor’s 10 tires to make sure it doesn’t damage the highway. Bennick also challenged the commissioners to look at the highway edge right in front of North Florida Holsteins where the tractor turns in. Reportedly, there is no damage along this stretch of County Road 232.
Dave Temple, farm manager at North Florida Holsteins, pointed out in a picture Cannon took, showing the farm tractor driving along the edge of the highway, that the driver of the tractor was only on the edge of the road because he had been given instructions to get over when a vehicle is approaching so the vehicle’s driver can have a clear view of the oncoming lane to pass.
The farm manager also pointed out that the tractor’s driver, Joe Bass, is terrified of making the left turn into the farm because traffic travels so quickly along the highways that he is afraid there will one day be an accident. Temple suggested the county consider posting additional signs along County Road 232 letting drivers know that farm machinery travels the road frequently.
Ultimately, the commissioners told Bennick to have his tractor stay off the shoulder of the highway. While they let the dairyman know that they would continue to monitor the condition of the road, Commissioner Randy Durden did say that the county could post additional signs along County Road 232.