Many farmers will tell you, agriculture is one of life’s most rewarding jobs, but it also continues to rank as one of the most dangerous. March 4 through 10 is Agriculture Safety Awareness Program Week, and it is a great time to remind farmers of proper safety practices. Especially prior to planting and harvesting seasons, crop and livestock farmers should take the appropriate steps to make sure they are operating in a safe manner as well as inspect all equipment to make sure it is working as safely and efficiently as possible.
In Missouri, there is more than 28 million acres of farmland, which makes it easy to see why agriculture is our state’s No. 1 industry. Farmers, and others working in agriculture, need to be aware of, promote and practice safety on a year-round basis.
I suggest taking advantage of farm safety training classes when it’s offered by area equipment dealers, cooperative extensions or farm organizations. Most importantly, slow down and use common sense whenever operating farm equipment.
Below are several safety reminders that all farms, farmers and farm families should observe:
Farmers need to do daily safety and maintenance checks on all tractors and heavy machinery used to perform farm work.
- Farm tractors have one seat. This means one operator and no extra riders on fenders, hitches or in front-end loader buckets.
- All farm tractors and any attached farm equipment must display the triangular, orange Slow Moving Vehicle (SMV) emblem.
- All operators of newer tractors equipped with a 2-point or 4-point ROPS (Rollover Protective Structure), must also wear the seat belt provided in order to be protected in a backward or sideways flip.
- Be cautious around all livestock that have given birth.
- Be aware of potentially deadly silo gas when chopping and placing corn silage in an upright silo.
- Be aware of a potentially deadly outcome when working around or in a grain bin or storage.
- Never trust any hydraulically-raised equipment, such as front-end loaders, dump trailers, etc.
- Be aware of steep hillsides when harvesting any crop.
- Be sure all safety shields are in good repair and properly secured on all farm equipment.
- When work must be performed on a farm implement, be sure it has been shut off and that all machine movement has stopped.
- Always wait for a hot engine to cool before attempting to re-fuel a tractor.
- Never start a tractor in a closed garage or shed, carbon monoxide can cause serious injury or death.
- Be sure to match farm equipment/implements to a tractor that is compatible to that equipment/implement.
As always, I encourage my constituents to contact me throughout the year with comments, questions or suggestions by calling my office at (573) 751-5713. To find more information about the bills I sponsor, visit www.senate.mo.gov/brown. Thank you for reading this and for your participation in state government.