With the fall harvest season underway, the Missouri State Highway Patrol is reminding motorists to watch for slow-moving farm equipment on highways and rural roads.

A crash Oct. 9 on U.S. Highway 65 near Grouse Avenue in Saline County illustrates the potential danger.

According to the Highway Patrol, a 26-year-old Marshall man was driving a pickup southbound while hauling a combine head. The driver slowed and began turning onto a farm road when another southbound pickup came over a hill and struck the equipment.

The second driver, a 27-year-old Malta Bend man, suffered minor injuries and was transported to Fitzgibbon Hospital. His pickup was totaled.

The Patrol reported 163 crashes involving farm equipment or implements across Missouri in 2025. Those crashes resulted in one death and 37 injuries.

In a news release, the Highway Patrol urged motorists to slow down when approaching agricultural equipment and avoid passing where visibility is limited by hills, curves or bridges.

The Patrol also cautions drivers that farm machinery moving toward the right side of a highway may be preparing to make a wide left turn.

Farmers are encouraged to use proper lighting, reflective markings and slow-moving vehicle emblems, along with escort vehicles when transporting equipment wider than a travel lane.

With harvest operations continuing across the area, the Patrol urges motorists and farmers to remain alert and share the road safely.