Washington Co., WI – Allenton Fire Chief John Breuer passed along a wealth of knowledge during the latest segment of Farm Safety Training in Washington County, WI. Breuer, along with volunteers from the Allenton Fire Department, highlighted steps taken in a grain bin rescue. “We wanted to show how quick someone can be encapsulated in grain or soybeans,” he said. “If you get below the level of your face, you can’t breathe and then … you end up dying by suffocation.”
Breuer brought the harsh realities of farm life to about 27 youth in attendance.
The farm safety program was restarted following the death of Curtis Nehm, who died in a farm-related accident earlier this year.
Firefighters volunteered their time to train young farmers.
Below is a story that focused on some of the safety aspects students learned in the classroom.
Washington Co., WI – In early February there was a revived interest in getting a Farm/Tractor Safety program back into the Washington County area. There had not been such a program since 2020. Mostly recently any youngsters that needed to be certified to work on a farmstead or operate farm apparatus on a public road had to travel sometimes up to two hours for the training.
The Washington County Farm Bureau decided its safety committee would put together a program. The committee found an excellent, inter-active program from Purdue University called “Gearing Up for Safety.”
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The first session was in mid-April. Twenty-seven students participated including 13-year-old Mitchell Raue. “I’m learning a safer way to do stuff including chainsaw safety,” he said. “I’d rather be safe than in the hospital.”
Carl Wolf from Sunset Farm in Allenton said, “One thing younger kids will take away is 1-in-4 people will have an accident or injury at some point in their career – knowing the dangers ahead of time is definitely better than not knowing.”
Instructor Bill Hinckley has been teaching tractor safety for 20+ years. “Today I will be teaching hydraulics, Power Take Off on tractors, hitching and general farm tractor safety,” he said.
“It’s very important we teach young adults and children that they need to watch, look, and listen.”
Lydia Gault, 14, a freshman at Hartford Union High School. She works at Gault Valley Farms in Neosho. “I mainly work with the cows on the farm with my dad. I’m learning a lot about being safe on the farm with tractors.”
The 27 youngsters [ages 12 to 16] will be attending three Saturday programs in April. The mission is to teach the kids about being safe while working in an agriculture setting. They will learn about hazards, mechanics of the implements along with chemicals found in and around a farmstead.
The training sessions will consist of presentations by experts along with hands-on training and visuals. It is a combination of online and in-person training April 6, 13 and 20. Each student will complete a written exam and practical driving test of a tractor and two-wheeled implement.
Click HERE to register
The Washington County Farm Bureau is very appreciative of the sponsors of this training:
Farmers Implement Farmers Grain & Feed Helena Chemical St. Lawrence Equipment Cargill Nutrients Zuern Building ProductsKrueger Dairy Farm Property Loss Management Keith Novotny Cousins Subs West Bend Fleet Farm Gehring’s Meat Market Allenton Lions Club Allenton Fire Department Mid State Equipment Washington Co. Dairy Promotion