Life's Critical Rule: Think Safety First
BY Dairyland Seed Marketing Team
Farming can be an incredibly hazardous occupation for you, your family and employees. At Dairyland Seed, advocating for safe practices continues to be a key priority. To help keep farmers safe, Dairyland is starting a “Safety First” series in this newsletter. Each issue will feature your farm safety story and advice to help keep customers safe.
Jim Engelberth, Regional Seed Brand Leader and a safety leader at Dairyland Seed’s parent company, Corteva Agriscience, says safety is ingrained in the core of Corteva.
jim engelberth regional seed brand leader
“Our commitment to safety runs deep, stemming from our heritage as a company with a strong focus on safeguarding our employees and our customers – farmers,” explains Engelberth.
Engelberth encourages farmers to start making farm safety the first thing they think about as they start the next project.
“At Corteva, we ask our employees to get in the habit of living by life-critical rules, and it’s good advice for anyone,” says Engelberth.
Practical Tips for Safer Farming
The good news is that according to USDA statistics, the total number of agricultural fatalities has been decreasing in recent years. University extension safety training programs as well as increased awareness and discussion amongst farmers, their families and employees has certainly contributed to this. However, more discussion will drive higher adoption of safe practices.
The following are some quick actions you or your customers can take to promote on-farm safety. Share these with others and help further reduce the possibility of accidents.
- Use power take-off (PTO) equipment cautiously.
- Retrofit older tractors with rollover protection systems (ROPS).
- Handle chemicals safely.
- Check and replace missing equipment shields.
- Maintain visibility: check lights, flashers, and reflectors.
- Replace worn “Slow Moving Vehicle” emblems to enhance visibility and road safety.
- Inspect and repair farm machinery before the season begins.
- Use proper equipment and procedures when hitching and unhitching implements.
- Never enter manure pits, grain bins, or silos without following confined space entry procedures and someone with you.
- Ensure all workers receive specific instructions on tasks and machines.
- Learn basic first aid, CPR, and emergency response procedures.
- Assign tasks to children only if they are physically, mentally and legally ready.
Your Wisdom & Experience
We want to hear your safety tips and stories and share them in upcoming issues of Safety First in this newsletter. If you have a compelling story, or an experience that has impacted you that you are willing to share with the Dairyland Seed community, please email it to dairylandseed@dairylandseed.com.
Together, we can build a safer and more resilient farming future.