FARM SAFETY

by jessica flores, agriculture educator with some safety tips. i am going to be talking on farm safety.fall harvest season is a busy time for our area farmers.farming is known as one of the most dangerous jobs.with working around large animals, storage bins, equipment, working around with with heavy loads in addition to being tired from working long hours, accidents can happen if producers are not careful. recently, ume helped worcester county farm bureau secure a grant that allowed for grain bin safety equipment to be purchased for our the local fire departments within the county.with grain crop production being a major farming activity, many farms have on farm grain storage bins to aid in storage and marketing of their crops.worcester county farmers manage a tremendous volume of grains annually. according to the usda ag census , farmers in the county produced 4,154,000 bushels of corn, 1,604,000 bushels of soybeans, and 887,000 bushels of winter wheat in 2012. when working around grain bins where grain is stored, farmers should use caution to be sure a person doesn’t fall in grain being unloaded. when grain is being off loaded out of a grain bin or trailer, grain is unloaded from the bottom the storage equipment.this allows the grain to flow out by means of an auger.unloading augers typically move grain fromstorage at 2,000 to 10,000 bushels per hour.moving grain acts as quick sand. at this rate, the entire body of a 6-foot-tall person can be covered with grain in 11 seconds if they were to fall in. if this happened to a farmer in rapidly moving grain, he/she would be unable to free themselves within 5 seconds.it is important that when rescue personnel aid a trapped individual, they do not become entrapped either. tips for our farmers to stay safe during harvest season: – stay out of grain bins, wagons, and grain trucks when unloading equipment is running. – wear a safety harness when working inside a grain bin. – do not allow children to play in or around grain storage. – always work with another person and let them know where you are. – paint ladders inside grain bins a bright color so they are easy to locate. attached is a picture of an aerial view of grain storage bins in worcester county .photo credits me . the second is the rescue equipment received by the worcester county farm bureau. photo credits worcester farm bureau. stay tuned… more news and weather straight ahead. good morning delmarva! it’s 6-30