Image and content provided by the Minnesota Corn Growers Association

 

With schools closed early throughout the state and access to daycare limited due to COVID-19, more kids are on the farm this spring and summer, increasing the risk for child accidents.

The National Children’s Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety (NCCRAHS) launched CultivateSafety.org to share resources and information with parents to help keep children safe on the farm. The website is especially helpful today, according to Marsha Salzwedel, project scientist with NCCRAHS.

With more kids at home, more parents are putting them to work where they can. Salzwedel said there is no harm in keeping the kids busy, as long as the work is appropriate for their age and abilities.

“Many injuries with older kids is when they are doing the work that does not fit with their mental or physical abilities,” she said. “Maybe they arent tall enough to reach the peddles, or a teenager may be more of a risk taker or susceptible to peer pressure. These are the types of things that can bring challenges.”

For parents with older kids, CultivateSafety.org has an interactive feature to help parents decide what on-farm jobs are age appropriate.

For the younger kids, Salzwedel recommends keeping children out of the tractor and all farm equipment that does not have a designated second seat with a seatbelt. Falling out of a tractor remains the top cause of fatality for younger children.

“The tractor ride is a popular tradition for many farmers, but what we say is it is easier to bury a tradition than it is a child,” Salzwedel said.

Overall, keeping children out of the work site, whether that is an active planting environment, filling a grain wagon or cleaning a grain bin, is very much advised by Salzwedel. CultivateSafety.org also has guidelines to keep children playing on the farm safe.

All parents with school-aged children will find information that is helpful at CultivateSafety.org, which is organized into resources related to kids safely working, playing and preventing accidents on the farm.

By following the guidelines, Salzwedel said kids will be able to enjoy the advantages of growing up on the farm.

“Kids really enjoy learning about the farm growing up and develop the work ethic that will help them greatly,” she said. “But we also know the farm is one of the most dangerous work sites in the country, and the only one where kids can be at all times. We need to be able to have them reap their benefits while staying safe.”