Take extra care this fall with harvest, fall work

Thursday, September 25, 2008 3:13 PM CDT

Our Views

As producers head into autumn and with it, fall harvest and fall field work, we are reminded of National Farm Safety and Health Week, Sept. 21-27.

Obviously, farming and ranching are at the top of the most dangerous jobs.

With harvest needing to get done quickly and with always a limited number of family members and employees to do it, we don't always think each job through before we act - or react.

When the grain auger stalls or the power goes out unexpectedly in the combine, it sometimes seems easier to do the job yourself than to wait for help to arrive.

It goes without saying that being tired and overworked, spending many hours in the combine or working new calves, is a part of every farm and ranch operation.

Farm Rescue has helped many farmers injured in farming accidents since the program began a few years ago.

One farmer caught his arm in a grain auger and another caught his arm underneath farm equipment while trying to find out why the power went out. It unexpectedly went back on.

One farmer waited eight hours for help to arrive.

Cattle and other livestock can always do the unexpected. A rancher who was trying to help a cow calve was severly injured when the mother cow turned on him.

Sure, things like this don't always happen but they happen enough that it never hurts to remind ourselves and our neighbors to take extra care as this busy season ramps up.

According to the American Farm Bureau “agriculture is a unique industry because many of its workers live, work and enjoy recreational activities at the worksite, often exposing them to diverse hazards associated with machinery, chemicals and livestock.”

Let's all take the extra time to operate machine and bring in the harvest with care. And before heading out, take a few moments to ensure farm equipment is in the proper working order, too.

Very few farms and ranches these days are without ATVs or pickups these days to check on herds and check on fields.

Following manufacturer's recommendations for use and speed, wearing protective gear, and not allowing extra riders are important, according to the AFB. An extra rider can greatly affect the balance of the ATV.

Teen-agers and adolescents play a big role in today's agriculture. Rather it be helping haul bales, or pitch in with other farm work, it is vital to remind them of farm safety, too.

According to the Kids Health Web site, pickup trucks, tractors, threshers, lawn mowers, and ATVs are powerful machines, and aren't safe for young kids to play on, or even be around, no matter whether they are in use or not. The Web site reminds us that it is “really easy to get thrown from a tractor, thresher, or riding mower.”

We want to thank all our producers for the food they produce for all of us, and wish you luck for a wonderful harvest season and a successful cattle and bull sale.

We hope you to take safety to heart as you head out to the fields this fall. We want you all safely back with us at harvest end.

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