Farm Safety On A Budget

Fall harvest is a season in which farmers are trying to get as much done as they can as fast as possible no matter what time of day it is.  It’s a critical period for a farmer’s bottom line.  It’s also an important time to focus on farmer safety.

Michael Cruse with the University of Minnesota Extension Service, said it’s possible for farmers to remain safety-conscious even when budgets are tight.

“That’s what I was trying to drive home this year, what are those tiny little things that could prevent a barn fire, could stop somebody give an extra warning before they rear-ended you, like we’re in a position where you can go out and replace all of your equipment that just completely outdated, no but there’s always something you can do.”
For example, he said one of the more common tractor accidents could be easily prevented by ensuring all safety equipment is up to day and fitting properly.  Cruse said addition to slow-moving vehicle signs, proper lighting on equipment is a big key to safety as well.  And when it comes to physical and mental health during harvest, it preaches the same message over and over and over again.

“Some of these, when I write these things I try to actually write the towards the wives or the mothers or the support people to these farmers. Be like, make sure they take water, make sure they don’t just run out the door without adding breakfast, get something in you make sure it’s good, stay hydrated and when you need to stop, stop.”

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