The Iowa Farm Safety and Health Week

AMES, Iowa – The Iowa Farm Safety and Health Week will be held Sept. 20-26 in conjunction with the National Farm Safety and Health Week. This year’s national theme is “every farmer counts” and that is an important reminder for everyone during this difficult 2020 harvest season.

harvesting soybean.The 77th observance of the National Farm Safety and Health Week comes during a year with plenty of challenges, including a pandemic, drought and the recent derecho. This particular week of safety and health observance helps Iowans focus on making safe decisions and using care while approaching dangerous work activities.

Join the Iowa Farm Safety Council, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, National Education Center for Agricultural Safety, and other safety organizations in promoting safety and health during Sept. 20-26. Let’s make sure every farmer is counted in the “free-from-serious-injury” column when this harvest season ends.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a proclamation Sept. 10 identifying Iowa with the most productive soil in the world and an impressive leader among producers of commodities in corn, hog, egg and red meat for the nation. Last year Iowa agriculture harvested more than $14 billion worth of corn and soybean.

Yet, the most dangerous industry in the United States is still agriculture and the busy harvest time is when many of the injuries occur. It is very important for everyone to make safety a personal priority during harvest.

Harvest season is the best time to encourage Iowans to put farm safety into practice by:

  • Using tractors with rollover protective structures (ROPS).
  • Becoming a strong advocate for your personal safety.
  • Making safe choices while harvesting downed corn.
  • Communicating effectively about potential hazards on Iowa roadways.

More information can be found on the Iowa State University farm safety website. To reach Charles Schwab, professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, call 515-294-4131 or email [email protected].

 

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