On August 11, CHS celebrates 811 Day and encourages you to call 811 before doing any kind of digging. The process is simple: call 811 three days before digging, wait for underground utilities to be marked for free and avoid breaking ground about two feet from the marked utilities.

In the U.S., there are more than 100 billion feet of underground utilities as well as enough pipeline to wrap around the equator 88 times. Many of these are less than a foot underground. CHS owns 2,500 miles of this pipeline to access crude oil and transport finished product to owners across America.

2019 marks the 10-year anniversary of 811 Day, celebrated on August 11. Created by the Common Ground Alliance, the day serves as a reminder to call 811 before digging.

It’s best to call 811 any time you break ground, even if you think you know where a utility line is located. “In the U.S., an underground utility is hit every nine minutes, causing dangerous consequences,” says Tina Beach, public awareness specialist for CHS. “It takes a lifetime to build a farm, and it takes just one free call to keep it safe.”