Safety comes first in Union County! The Union County 4-H Program along with the Conservation District, Kentucky Farm Bureau, Kentucky Fish and Wildlife, the FSA Office host Farm Safety Day every fall in Sturgis, KY at the John A. Arnold Arena.  Farm Safety Day is an outdoor safety program where safety, environment, and agriculture are all tied together. This unique Safety Day provides excellent training for all 5^th graders in Union County.  

From 1993-2019, approximately 4,635 students have attended this safety training program.   Specifically in 2018, 184 5^th graders in Union County participated in Farm Safety Day. Some of the safety skill areas taught were fire, horses, farm machinery, guns, water activities, electrical and grain bins.  Also, to end the program, the local meteorologist, Wayne Hart from WEHT News 25, came and spoke to the youth about weather safety concerning severe weather such as tornadoes, lightening, and flooding.  

At the conclusion of the event, students were given a survey that asked multiple questions: Did you learn something new about farm safety, are you going to be safer at home or on the farm, and are you going to share what you learned with your family? Nearly 95% of the students said yes to all three of these questions. We also went on to ask youth which safety area they liked best and why.  One youth answered “I really enjoyed the safety house because I have a large fear of fires and this helped me to know what to do.” The Union County 4-H Program continuously seeks ways to better this educational program for the youth in Union County.