Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds has extended the proclamation for weight limits and transportation of grain, fertilizer, and manure until February 19th.
The order permits vehicles carrying corn, soybeans, hay, straw, silage, stover, fertilizer (dry, liquid, and gas), and manure (dry and liquid) to be overweight (up to 90,000 pounds) without a permit for agricultural trucking.
The order applies to loads transported on all highways in Iowa except the interstate system, as the state’s economy and transportation system are greatly connected to its grain production.
Rural roadways play a crucial role in trucking the state’s agricultural products, both in the initial and final stages of transportation. Farmers are increasingly using larger and heavier field equipment, and shipping more commodities directly to processors or export terminals through rural routes, as reported by the state’s department of transportation.
The extended proclamation by the governor states that commercial vehicles operating under the order must not exceed the state’s maximum axle weight limit by more than 12.5% or the legal maximum axle weight limit of 20,000 pounds. The vehicles must also abide by posted weight limits on roads and bridges. Certain loads, such as soybeans, corn, hay, straw, silage, stover, fertilizer, and manure, can be transported on state highways without permits.
Cereal grains are the top agricultural commodity in Iowa. According to USDA statistics, the state’s corn farmers produced 16% of the total national corn output (2.3 billion bushels on 12.9 million acres) in 2020. Additionally, Iowa grew 12% of the total U.S. soybean production at 506 million bushels in the same year.
“Like corn, soybeans are a major Iowa and U.S. export to countries around the world. Top buyers of soybeans include China, Mexico and Japan; top markets of soy meal are Mexico, Philippines and Canada; and the top destinations for soybean oil are China, Mexico and India,” noted the state’s 2022 freight plan.
