MEKINOCK, N.D. -- Spring planting is approaching, and the Grand Forks (N.D.) County Farm Bureau wants farmers and their employees to keep safety at the top of their to-do list.
"Safety is the most important thing. We just want to remind people of that," says John Fichtner, a Thompson, N.D., farmer and president of the county Farm Bureau.
The group sponsored its second annual safety meeting March 12 in the shop of Brent Schmitz, a Mekinock, N.D., farmer. The meeting, open to the public, drew about 75 people, most of them Farm Bureau members and their employees. The three-hour meeting included presentations on first aid, highway safety and working around power lines -- subjects that farmers generally understand already.
But as farms get bigger, more farm employees have a limited ag background, increasing the need for safety education, Fichtner says.
And even experienced farmers and farm employees benefit from reminders on staying safe, he says.
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An important part of the meeting came between the informational sessions, when farmers and employees visited among themselves and shared memories of preventable accidents in the past.
"Reminiscing about things that went wrong helps you focus on avoiding mistakes in the future," Fichtner says.
The federal government rates farming as among the 10 most dangerous occupations. Big equipment poses the greatest threat, and staying alert is essential, according to information from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
In 2012, 373 farmers and farmworkers were killed, with an average of 167 ag workers hurt each day, according to government statistics.
Farmers understand the dangers, but it's good to be reminded of them, Schmitz says.
"Farming is a really dangerous occupation. Everybody needs a refresher course now and then," he says.
Because planting is so important, especially if the weather doesn't cooperate, farmers can rush and unknowingly take chances they otherwise wouldn't, Fichtner says.
His advice for farmers:
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"Slow down and think," he says.
There are many sources of information on farm safety. They include:
• North Dakota: www.ag.ndsu.edu/agmachinery/farm safety.
• Minnesota: www.mda.state.mn.us/news/events/farmsafetyweek.aspx .
•South Dakota: www.south
dakotasafetycouncil.org.
•Montana: www.mtagsafety.com .
•Canada: casa-acsa.ca.
