NDSU Extension agent Rick Schmidt demonstrates farm equipment safety. (NDSU photo)

FARGO, N.D. (NDSU Extension) – Farming and ranching are among North Dakota’s most dangerous occupations.

North Dakota State University Extension and the University of Minnesota Extension have partnered to offer a series of one-hour farm safety webinars this winter. The webinars will be held at 11 a.m. Thursdays between Jan. 21 and March 18.

The webinar dates and topics are:

Jan. 21 – grain bin safety
Feb. 4 – tractor and equipment safety
Feb. 18 – youth farm safety
March 4 – livestock safety
March 18 – mental health
Presenters will include NDSU Extension agents and specialists, producers, emergency responders and University of Minnesota Extension educators.

“We’re always in a hurry,” says Angie Johnson, NDSU Extension agent and farm and ranch safety program coordinator. “Mother Nature has us racing against the clock to get tasks done. When we’re rushed, we increase our chances of making a mistake, and that’s when accidents will happen. The goal of the Farm Safety Webinar Series is to start the conversation of safety as a priority at the farm/ranch level.”

The webinars are free of charge. Visit z.umn.edu/FarmSafetyWebinars to preregister. Preregistration is required.

For more information, contact Johnson at angela.b.johnson@ndsu.edu or Emily Krekelberg, farm safety and health educator with University of Minnesota Extension, at krek0033@umn.edu.

To learn more about farm and ranch safety, visit NDSU Extension’s website at https://www.ag.ndsu.edu/extension/farmsafety.