Energy company Saskpower is doubling the amount of funding going towards the Farmyard Line Relocation Program, in order to better serve farmers.

The program works to both bury and move power lines that hang low enough that they may get caught on some tall farm machinery.

Equipment such as sprayers, augurs, and harrows can all reach high enough to touch power lines when folded up.

Hitting a power line can be extremely dangerous - besides the obvious electrical damage possible to equipment, the current can carry across the vehicle, potentially harming a farmer.

Scott McGregor, a spokesperson for Saskpower, says the program

"The Farmyard Line Relocation Program makes the option of burying or relocating overhead power lines in a farmyard a lot more available to eligible landowners. SaskPower invests 75% of the costs in moving these lines or burying these lines, and the landowner would be responsible for the remaining 25%, up to $2,000."

"Previously we typically put about 2 million dollars into the program each year," said McGregor, "This year though we have allotted about 5 million dollars to it which is enough to carry out about 300 projects. There's plenty of room on the list right now, so we're encouraging eligible landowners to apply and get some lines moved."

McGregor says that safety is important to Saskpower.

"It's a matter of safety - so anywhere you have large equipment moving around, there is a chance there is going to be some contact with those power lines. This program was designed to bury those lines so the farmyard will be a bit safer."

While construction times and costs vary from farmyard to farmyard, McGregor says they can walk through what the process would be like with farmers.

"It depends on the nature of what needs to be done, like if it can be moved or if it can be buried, that would certainly change the amount of time it would take to do the work. That being said, if any eligible landowners do give us a call and sign up for the program we would be able to kind of get an idea of what their situation would look like."