NEW IBERIA, La. — The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Sunshine Protection Act, a bill that would make daylight saving time permanent. A New Iberia farm owner says the change could benefit the agriculture industry, primarily on safety grounds.
Safety behind the wheel of heavy equipment
Ricky Gonsoulin, owner and managing partner of Gonsoulin Farms LLC, said farm operations run from 6 a.m. to 7 or 8 p.m. When clocks fall back, workers are often required to operate heavy machinery after dark to meet production demands.
"I like to try to finish those hours during daylight hours and not have to operate my equipment at night because it decreases the safety aspects, puts my employees in a position where they have to be more focused, and the possibility exists that, you know, accidents can happen in the dark versus daylight more frequently," Gonsoulin said.
Consistent hours year-round
Gonsoulin said the time change also forces adjustments to employee schedules and equipment hours.
"It makes us adjust our employees' hours and our equipment hours to push a little bit harder because we have a certain quota system that we have to meet," he said.
"Farmers and agriculture always press for time, and we put long hours in. So I think the biggest benefit to daylight saving time for us in the agriculture industry is probably safety," Gonsoulin said.
When asked about the bill overall, Gonsoulin was direct: "I am for it."
