A couple days ago I read an absolutely heart-breaking story today that showed up in my Facebook news feed about a Wisconsin teen that died inside a manure spreader.
My thoughts and prayers go out for that family and with my own little man at home now, I cannot fathom their loss.
That story really got me thinking. Obviously, I pride myself on putting out good agronomic info, but in the grand scheme of things all the agronomy in the world doesn't count for jack compared to the loss of your child.
Sometimes I think we get so hung up on bad grain prices and new equipment and weather and football (Congrats to NDSU for beating my Hawkeyes today, btw :p) and getting the crop planted and getting the crop sprayed and getting the crop harvested and and and and and... that we forget what really matters. Awful stories like the one above serve as a painful reminder that we need to take time to pay attention to those things that matter most.
So please, hug your kids a little tighter, kiss your wife one more time, and make damn sure that you're paying super close attention to everything that's even remotely dangerous this harvest season.
I'm also attaching some links to some great farm safety resources that I BEG you to take time to read.
My thoughts and prayers go out for that family and with my own little man at home now, I cannot fathom their loss.
That story really got me thinking. Obviously, I pride myself on putting out good agronomic info, but in the grand scheme of things all the agronomy in the world doesn't count for jack compared to the loss of your child.
That's why in this article I'm emphasizing farm safety. This week is National Farm Safety Week and I hope that in the midst of an early harvest season we'll all take a second to pay attention to what I think has become a topic that too many of us don't pay enough attention to.
And make no mistake... farm safety is a big deal. To quote a paragraph from the article linked above,
Based on recent U.S. Department of Labor statistics, there were 475 fatalities in farm-related work-related injuries in the U.S., which resulted in a fatality rate of 21.2 deaths per 100,000 workers. The rate of fatalities in the agriculture industry has declined in recent years, but still remains the highest of any industry sector, according to data from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.Yep, you read that correctly. Ag has the highest fatality rate of any industry.
Sometimes I think we get so hung up on bad grain prices and new equipment and weather and football (Congrats to NDSU for beating my Hawkeyes today, btw :p) and getting the crop planted and getting the crop sprayed and getting the crop harvested and and and and and... that we forget what really matters. Awful stories like the one above serve as a painful reminder that we need to take time to pay attention to those things that matter most.
So please, hug your kids a little tighter, kiss your wife one more time, and make damn sure that you're paying super close attention to everything that's even remotely dangerous this harvest season.
I'm also attaching some links to some great farm safety resources that I BEG you to take time to read.
- Show Me Farm Safety (Missouri.gov website)
- Ohio State University Agricultural Safety and Health Program
- Farm Safety for Kids
P.S. In absolutely no way, shape, or form am I blaming the poor family of the teen who died tragically. Do NOT misconstrue anything that I have written to read it that way. This was a terrible tragedy and I have nothing by grief and pity for that family.
P.P.S. The farm safety issue is one of the biggest reasons why I am so adamantly opposed to the use of anhydrous ammonia as an N source. Don't worry, you'll see more about that in the coming weeks. ;)
P.P.S. The farm safety issue is one of the biggest reasons why I am so adamantly opposed to the use of anhydrous ammonia as an N source. Don't worry, you'll see more about that in the coming weeks. ;)
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