Being safe on the farm takes the knowledge to understand and follow best practices. This means doing the right thing first and making it a habit, a safe habit.
The Delia Agriculture Society has made safety a priority, and making sure they spread the word to the young.
Jason Reed says the Ag Society hold a safety forum for youngsters every two years in the spring. This gives them a run down on safe practices.
“We try to target ages 10-14,” said Reed. “It is for any kids that take interest in it.”
They dedicate a whole Saturday to the course covering everything from basic first aid to fire safety with the local fire chief and department. They talk about handling of farm chemicals and airborne hazards. They also touch on quad and machinery safety, big and small. ATCO Electric comes out for the course and does its high Voltage power line presentation.
“They get a kick out of that because they actually fry wieners with high voltage” chuckles Reed.
To end the day he says they often bring a variety of farm machinery and have local farmers demonstrate how the machinery works and identify the hazards the machinery poses.
“We try to make it broad, and try to touch on all basic aspects of farming in our community,” he said, everything from ranching and dairy to grain farming.
He says the course is making a difference and he sees kids coming each year with a good basis of knowledge of safety. He says it also makes adults more conscientious about safety.
“Kids take some stuff back and if mom and dad learn some stuff it is great for the whole family,” he said.
