This story was originally published in The Vidette-Messenger of Porter County on October 27, 1955.
County Road ‘Farming’ Practice Halt Ordered
After an investigation made this week of the practice of “farming” county roads, county officials announced today that they will take steps to correct this problem in 1956, regardless of crops.
During the past two or three years, county officials stated, it has become the practice of some Porter County farmers to plow up to 10 feet outside the fence line on country roads. In some cases, they go so far as to plow road stone into their fields when planting crops outside the fence line, the officials noted in their observation.
County Commissioners Otto Gibbs, Martin Ericson and C.A. Carpenter, and County Highway Supervisor Anton Jensen reported that next year, during the road grading season they plan to grade such county roads along the entire right-of-way, regardless of crops.
“We appreciate it when the farmers keep the brush down along the fence rows, but we do not think it is good farm practice to plow the ditches shut. They were put there to drain the road,” the highway supervisor pointed out.
