Farm Kid Paradox Pt 2

With today’s Fruit Grower Report, I’m Bob Larson. With many farm kids spending their days on the farm instead of at school during the pandemic, farm safety has become a matter of major concern for many, including the National Farm Medicine Center.

The Center’s Melissa Ploeckelman says with their kids at home all day, farm parents now have added responsibilities …

PLOECKELMAN … “They’re now supervising 100% of the time. They’re parents 100% of the time. They’re teachers, they’re superintendents, they’re Phy Ed instructors, they’re disciplinarians, and some of them are even employers. They’re actually giving their children jobs on the farm. And so, yes, it’s become a huge struggle.”

Farm safety, Ploeckelman says now includes setting new boundaries for the kids …

PLOECKELMAN … “You can tell a child, don’t go off the lawn, don’t go on the gravel, or you can them, don’t go past this tree. But, when Grandpa or Auntie Janie comes down the driveway with a tractor, they’re so excited to see that person. And, they go running out there. They forget those rules, so to speak, and there’s so many blind spots with this big machinery. And, that’s when a very innocent situation can become a hazardous one.”

That’s why, Ploeckelman says physical boundaries are so important …

PLOECKELMAN … “And so, we talk about creating, you know, a physical boundary that that child can’t cross. It keeps the child safe and it makes the worker on the farm feel so much more comfortable to do their job.”

Listen tomorrow for more on the ‘Farm Kid Paradox’ and keeping your children safe in these uncertain times.