Kyle Huhn, Quality Control Supervisor, Utility Safety Partners
While Mother Nature can make it tough to tell when the end of digging season is approaching, we see other signs in the contact centre. One of the best indicators is an increase in rural callers, specifically farmers, with a type of work that seems to catch newer agents off guard every fall. Burying rock piles.
Twenty years ago, as a bright-eyed twelve-year-old, my first “job” was picking rocks for the farmer down the road. For three hours I walked through a field with a friend grabbing everything from skipping stones to what felt like literal boulders. Once we were done, the farmer paid us twenty dollars and asked if we wanted to help with the next step, burying them.
It might seem like a minor task to some, but the importance to farmers cannot be overstated. Heading into the Spring with a field free of debris helps farmers start the growing season more effectively. On a surface level, it helps prevent damage to equipment which can be costly to repair or even put a stop to work. Long-term, soil conditions can improve, erosion can be mitigated, and frost heave reduced, all things that help ensure an effective harvest.
While the digging season hasn’t ended yet, we’re already seeing the excavation community prepare for 2026, just like we are, and we’re excited to share our plans in the near future.