The Todd County Extension 4-H Office teamed up with community partners and Long Vue Farms to offer a Progressive Agriculture farm safety day to 160 4^th graders in Todd County.  With 30% of the students living on a farm in Todd County, it is more critical than ever to educate youth on farm safety practices to ensure health and well-being.  This event exposed local children to the possible dangers of farm work in a fun and interactive atmosphere in an attempt to help keep them safe. The kids were engaged in 10 educational stations all about the farm, heavy equipment, rollovers, firearms, water, sun and fire safety.  

According to Progressive Agriculture Safety advocates, farm safety is a critical issue. They estimate farm accidents and other work-related health problems claim as many as 1,300 lives and cause 120,000 injuries a year, most of which are preventable. 

Students gained knowledge about livestock safety, lawn mower rollovers, electric power lines, understanding farm signs and so much more.  After watching a stuffed Captain America suffer a bad head injury on a lawn mower without a roll over bar, the students understood the dangers of mowing and the importance of rollover bars.  In addition to this high impact, educational station, results of an end of program focus group revealed:

      93% learned the importance of livestock safety.

      94% gained facts about grain bin safety.

      94% understood the importance of drinking water to stay hydrated.

      89% claimed that in the next 3 months they would definitely be more cautious on the farm           around large equipment, firearms and animals. 

The 4^th grade teachers and school principals explained that this day ranked at the top for educational field trips.