Summer’s arrival on June 21 reminds us the heat needs no introduction.
Each year summer arrives and while many of our urban cousins are participating in sports and music camps, baseball and softball seasons, 4-H and Scout expeditions, on the farm danger can lurk and goes far beyond seasonal hot weather.
As Field Editor Kylene Scott writes in this week’s cover story Rural America provides rare opportunities for people to enjoy nature and the outdoors but it can come at a risk particularly for youth and that means farm families. The National Children’s Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety recently celebrated 25 years of preventing injuries and yet its work will never be fully done because hazards abound. Scott writes in her story that a farm is not a playground.
Organizations have continued to work to get the message out and the National Children’s Center, a founding partner for the Childhood Agricultural Safety Network, has particularly targeted farm parents, farm owners, farm operators and the media as the best hope for communicating the story of hazards. The three most common causes of child ag fatalities are motor vehicles, drowning and machinery. Farm animals are one of the most common causes of injuries.
The message that organizers want those involved in agriculture to understand is that the best strategy for preventing injuries and fatalities to children is to keep them away from the farm-ranch worksite if they are too young to help. Marsha Salzwedel, a project scientist and agricultural youth safety specialist at the National’s Children Center, correctly observes that just because a parent worked where danger lurked and was never injured he or she may be putting a child in harm’s way.
The tradition of driving a tractor or grain cart before one even received a driver’s license is a common story but with today’s larger machinery and complexities, even with more safety precautions in place than ever before it can be a recipe for greater accident risk.
At High Plains Journal our publication has long endorsed the practice of having youth take tractor safety courses that are taught by Extension agents and other trained professionals. These classes involved much more than just tractor operation as they take a look at the entire operation and the hazards that occur in a moment’s notice. The key to safety is proper instruction and reinforcing protocols—even though they may seem benign—and recognize danger lurks when it is least expected.
Farm media, manufacturers and organizations that raise awareness about the importance of safety look forward to the day when a publication’s headline will state, “No farm fatalities occurred this past year.” That headline is more than just wishful thinking as each death or severe injury that is prevented makes all the awareness worthwhile.
Rural America is a special place for all generations because it places a great emphasis on a way of life that is to be admired. But it does come with a price and preventative practices are necessary if the tradition is going to continue.
Dave Bergmeier can be reached 620-227-1822 or [email protected].
