Farm Safety Tips

Farm Safety Tips

I’m KayDee Gilkey with the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report.

In addition to the blooming trees and flowers, and baby calves or lambs frolicking in pastures another sure sign of spring is farmers in the field.?

As farmers rush to take advantage of ideal planting conditions, it can be easy to neglect simple steps for staying safe and healthy while in the field. CHS Product Manager for Refined Fuels Neil Hoff shares some important spring safety tips.

Hoff: “First and foremost all the farmers work extremely long hours. At times they go well past into the dark the 10 to 15 hour days. What we want to make everyone aware of is that limited visibility at night. As you come in and out of the fields pulling equipment, we want to be sure they take just a minute and clean off the dirty headlights the tail lights, make sure the warning lights are on when they come into the fields. Be seen coming in. Another important tip the fact that based on those long hours, fatigue can certainly be a determinatal factor. so try to avoid running that big equipment and complexed machinery late at night. Take a break even a 10 to minute break once or twice a day can do wonders.”

For more tips, go to Cenexperts blog at www.tankofthanks.com.

And for those of us traveling on country roads, beware of slow moving tractors on the road moving from field to field.

I’m KayDee Gilkey with the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network.