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Proceed With Caution

Learn to be safe around agriculture and farms

Proceed With Caution


September 2008

By all accounts, farms are glorious places. With fresh air, peaceful pastures and wide-open spaces, what’s not to love?

But hold that thought – did you know that every year more than 20,000 people are injured on farms, and hundreds more are killed in farm-related accidents? In fact, agriculture is considered to be the most hazardous industry in the United States.

But you don’t have to be a farmer to benefit from learning about farm safety. Sooner or later in life, we all come into contact with agriculture. For some FFA members, farming is a daily experience. The only time others set foot on a farm is for a summer job or for their supervised agricultural experience (SAE). No matter how often you visit a farm, however, one thing is certain: They can be dangerous.

No one knows that better than Marilyn Adams, founder of Farm Safety 4 Just Kids, a nonprofit organization based in Iowa that works to increase awareness of the hazards to children and teens on the farm. In the fall of 1986, Adams’ 11-year-old son Keith suffocated in a gravity flow wagon of shelled corn while helping with the first day of harvest on his family’s Iowa farm.

A year later, while helping her daughter Kelly with an FFA speech about farm safety, Marilyn was surprised to learn that 300 children are killed every year in farm-related accidents. She started Farm Safety 4 Just Kids in 1987 as a constructive outlet for her grief and to help save other families from experiencing similar tragedies.

“Many people are unaware of the dangers lurking in the rural environment,” says Keely Pearson, marketing and community relations director for Farm Safety 4 Just Kids. “Others are aware of the risks but believe nothing bad will ever happen to them. Youth are full of dreams for the future and are often oblivious to dangers in their paths.”

What’s worse, those dangers are often hidden, especially to people who have never lived on a farm. Farm machinery possesses powerful cutting mechanisms, while livestock are capable of biting or crushing a person. People can drown in creeks and manure lagoons, and grain bins are suffocation hazards. Even an innocent-looking shed or silo can contain chemicals or harmful amounts of poisonous gases.

That’s not to say you should be afraid of farms – but you do need to stay alert and be aware of your surroundings.

Whether or not your SAE has you doing hands-on farm work, it’s important to realize the hazards involved and educate others about staying safe. FFA chapters across the nation promote farm safety in their communities in a variety of ways. Many host Farm Safety Days to teach kids and adults how to be safe on the farm. Others, like the Mattoon, Ill., chapter, come up with their own unique projects.

In March 2008, Mattoon FFA members received a $1,200 grant from the Illinois FFA Foundation and used it to buy farm safety supplies such as SMV signs, flashers and first-aid kits. They distributed the supplies free of charge to farmers.

“We kept some supplies at school, and took a lot to the local Farm Bureau office for farmers to pick up,” says Ryan Wildman, Mattoon FFA advisor. “The flashers were a huge hit with the farmers, because they’re about $20 apiece. The SMV signs are $6 each, and that really adds up if you have a lot of equipment.”

For more on promoting farm safety, visit ffanewhorizons.org.

Story by Jessica Mozo



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For lots more information about farm safety, including downloadable fact sheets, click here.



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The National FFA Organization is dedicated to making a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education. Visit ffa.org