Ryan Quarles: National Farm Safety Week

Ryan Quarles Commissioner of Agriculture

For the past 78 years, the third week of September (Sept. 18-24) has been recognized as National Farm Safety and Health Week. In 1944, despite a world war raging in Europe and the Pacific Ocean, then-President Franklin D. Roosevelt believed that bringing attention to the hazards and risks of farm work here at home was important enough for him to proclaim the first National Farm Safety and Health Week. This annual promotion initiated by the National Safety Council and its agricultural partner, the National Education Center for Agricultural Safety, has been proclaimed by every sitting U.S. president since FDR.

Farmers face a number of risks in the course of their work, from machinery accidents, chemical exposure, unruly livestock, grain bin entrapment, severe weather – you name it. Recent data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that agriculture is still the most dangerous occupation in America with an average of 23.1 deaths per 100,000 workers. In Kentucky, we have made great strides to mitigate these risks to make farming safer. The Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center reported that 15 Kentuckians engaged in agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting died on the job in 2020, compared with 50 in 1995. The Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s (KDA) Farm and Home Safety Program provides educational resources and training to ensure the safety of farmers and their families. The farm and home safety team is always in high demand and appears in more than 100 events to increase safety awareness every year across Kentucky, including the National Farm Machinery Show and Kentucky State Fair. The program's dramatic ATV (all-terrain vehicle) safety mock rescues, featuring a medical helicopter fly-in, demonstrate to high school students the importance of safe choices that can make a difference between life or death.

One thing you can do right now is take a few

Saturday, October 8, 2022, 10 am—2 pm Trick or Treat at the Stockyards

Monday, October 31, 2022, 6:30 pm—8:30 pm

Richmond December 6, 2022—5:00 PM For more information or to schedule your cattle, call the barn at 859-623-1280. Lexington December 7, 2022— 5:30 PM For more information or to schedule your cattle, call the barn at 859-255-7701.

minutes to watch a safety video on the KDA website at www.kyagr.com/marketing/farmsafety.html (or scan the QR code above). A series of four videos line the bottom of the page, starring former Miss Kentucky Alex Francke with Farm and Home Safety Program administrator Dale Dobson. The topics are: operator’s manuals, lawn mower safety, tractor roll-over protective structures, and ATV safety. Fall harvest time can be one of the busiest and most dangerous periods of the year for the agriculture industry. Motorists must be aware that they may encounter slow-moving farm equipment on rural roads, and farmers should avoid moving their tractors and combines on roads during periods of high traffic. In addition to reminding farmers to keep safety top of mind and reminding drivers to share the road, the KDA embarked last year on a new campaign — “Raising Hope – Supporting Healthy Lives on Kentucky Farms” — that focuses on the mental and physical health of agricultural producers. The intent of the campaign is to reduce stress, depression, and suicide among producers, along with maintaining physical safety while on the job. One farmer suicide or injury is one too many. So whether you are on the farm, on the road, or in the home, please take that extra step to protect yourself and those around you.

Life is about the relationships made, and Jere Cannon was blessed to come in contact with so many wonderful people in agriculture. We never know the impact we have on others, but what we do know is Jere loved people. Whether you were a close friend or a casual acquaintance, each of you impacted his life. A special thank you from the Cannon Family for all the cards, phone calls and expressions of sympathy, they were greatly appreciated.

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