Grain Bin safety. I know you as farmers get tired of the topic. We hit it hard once a year during National Grain Bin Safety Week. But, there’s a reason we in the farm media hit the topic hard. People still get hurt or killed every year, no matter how long they’ve been in the business of farming. Farming is a dangerous profession; the most dangerous in America.
Really, it only takes a moment for tragedy to happen. I can’t imagine what it’s like to know that a family member died by being crushed under a mountain of grain and not being able to breathe. But I know of someone who lived through the nightmare. She’s the current governor of South Dakota.
National Grain Bin Safety week is February 16-22 this year. National Grain Bin Safety Week is a subject that hits home for South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, who grew up on a farm in Hamlin County and lost her father in a grain bin accident…tape
She says farmers and ranchers work with dangerous equipment every day…tape
While you may not think you have time to slow down, Noem reminds producers theirs aren’t the only lives affected if something tragic happens…tape
Noem encourages producers to evaluate safety procedures and equipment on their farms and ranches and to make adjustments when needed.
Older farmers aren’t the only ones hurt in accidents. Twitter was recently ablaze with sadness over the loss of a young man who’d barely lived around twenty years. It only takes a second for life to change forever. It’s worth taking a few extra minutes to be safe. I know how the grind of farming wears on patience. It’s worth it to your family members to have you come home a few minutes later, especially if it’s the difference between life and death, which it certainly can be.