It’s a busy time of year for area farmers with the harvesting season.
Today’s Northumberland went on a ride-along with Allan Carruthers, who is President of the Northumberland Federation of Agriculture as he was combining wheat in Alnwick/Haldimand Township on Wednesday, July 30, 2025.
Nearing the end of the season for harvesting wheat, and with the dry season it’s been, there have been several combine fires around southern Ontario.
With combines costing approximately $500,000, Carruthers said farmers to their best to keep them clean, but with what they are harvesting, one spark could lead to disaster in seconds.
“These combines, they run all the time in dusty, dirty conditions. The straw is very dry and there is virtually no moisture left in it and it doesn’t take much to ignite it.”
Carruthers has also been a firefighters for over 25-years and a farmer all his life knows how devastating a combine fire can be.
“It doesn’t take very long to overheat a bearing. A lot of these bearings on the combines are sealed bearings. So when they start to show wear, the bearing will start to bounce, the shaft will start to bounce or the chain being driven could easily cause a spark.”
Carruthers said you could be the best for maintenance, “and all it takes – is even a cutter bar hit a stone.”
A few years ago there were a few combine fires locally and, “it’s very disheartening.”
Farmers will always help one another in an emergency, but given the time of year, most farm equipment is in use.
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
