!—Lancaster Farming. Satuv 2- ’day. July 19.1969 • IT'S YOUR LIFE (Continued fiom Page 1) cau«e farming is such a hazard ous occupation, or is it because the fanner is unaware of safety practices" There is nothing difficult about i preventing farm accidents. Yet the job has not been done, most ly because farmers have not made up their minds to get it done So what must the farmer do to make his work as safe as another working man’s? The first big step in getting the faim to be a safe place to live and work is to convince farmers that safety is absolutely necessary Knowledgeable farm ers recognize the fact that it is time to get something done There are two things that a farmer can do to make his farm a safer place for his family, his workers, and his friends. First, ho can take those indivrdul steps that immediately make his farm safe. Second, he can co-operate and must co-operate with other parties in a drive to reduce ac cidents on an area-wide and na tion-wide scale. I believe that the second step is very important if we are to reduce farm accidents. Before the farmer can follow through on these steps, he must know the facts about farm safety. Surveys have shown that about 75% of the farmers don’t know the most dangerous parts of var ious farm machinery. Little safe ty can be more dangerous than no safety at all. This is so be cause a lot of the safety litera ture that reaches the farmers is inaccurate, poorly written, and outdated. For example, a farmer taught to fear the snapping rolls ol a cornpicker lost a hand in the husking bed which he thought was less dangerous. Most accidents are caused by farm machinery and the tractor. Six out of ten of the fatalities caused by the tractor are be cause of overturning. Results from research show that 75% of tractor overturn fatalities a voided by roll bars and crush re sistant cabs. Many times a mere safety belt could save a farmer’s life. So why doesn’t the farmer have these safety devices applied to his tractors? One excuse is the cost of the roll bar and cab, but I ask you, “Is the cost of these Satisfaction That Conies M ' Doing A Good lob Of Farming ’5 v~ y IPs a great feeling to know that yon are the master of your farmlands . . . that when you treat your soil right, it will treat you right. Liming is one of the most important factors in keeping your soil in the highest productive range. By raising the pH from a level below 6.0 to 6.5 or higher, you can expect to harvest JB more tons of alfalfa per acre, with similar increases for all other forage and cash crops. Order Now For Prompt Delivery MARTIN’S LIMESTONE Blue Ball, Pa. 354-4125 Gap, Pa. 442-4148 safety devices more important than the life of yourself or one of your family? - ’ I say that all overturn safety devices should become standard equipment on all new tractors. I think it is the fanner's duty to make the farm safe'. There are many ways he can do this. There is one area into which the farm er needs to inject his voice: the design of agricultural equipment Too often the manufacturer finds out what should be done to ma chinery to make it safe only by counting coffins. The farmer should look at his machinery with a cold, safety-conscious eye. and he should let the manufact urer know what features he thinks are unduly hazardous. He must make the manufacturer strive to make a totally safe ma chine Since it is impossible to make a totally safe machine, the farmer must face the responsi bility of operating a machine that is not totally safe. I also believe that all operat ing manuals should be written with safety in mind. Instead of telling the farmer only how to operate his machine, the man ual should remind him of the dangerous parts of the machine. Before telling how to operate and maintain a certain part of the machine, the manual should make him aware of the danger of this part. This will help the farm er to put safety first. In addition, if the problem of farm accidents is to be overcome, it must take place on a nation wide scale. One of the first prob lems the farmer faces is inade quate safety resources. Only nine states have a full-time safety specialist working in the exten sion service. There are many more persons telling the farm er’s wife how to cook than there are persons demonstrating and telling the farmer how to stay alive and safe when on his farm. The sad truth is that the farm safety effort is in bits and pieces and is quite clearly inadequate. Yet these problems, woefully short of funds and personnb>, have saved lives! All evidence indicates that a national effort for farm safety would bring a sizeable reduction in the acci dent rate. Again, it is the duty of the farmer to see that this is done. There is very little going to hap pen without the assistance of the farmer. He talks about crops, cattle, and economics, but rarely shows interest in safety. Until he does, and until he lets govern ment officials know that he needs a good safety program, the safe ty efforts will remain stunted. The farmer must make good, loud noise to impress his mes sage on leaders of this country. If the farmer does not do this, it will lead to another problem which he must face: safety legis lation. And “problem" is the cor rect word because legislation is always one of the least desirable ways to achieve a specific and just end. There are proposed bills in the various legislatures ot the country which would re quire a farmer to tailor his farm operation in many ways to meet the congressman’s idea of farm safety rather than that of a knowledgeable safety expert I have mentioned many times that it is the fanner’s duty to see that his farm is safe, but it is also our dutv as Future Farm ers of America to make our home a safe place to live. If the nation-wide safety program is to work, the next farmers of Amer ica must be acquainted with safe ty and practice this safety at all times. Through our organization we must give aid in starting safe ty programs all over the country. For anything to be accomplish ed, the farmer must work in co operation with safety officials, because be a united drive to make the American farm safe. I challenge you to start to apply the solution to the problem by speaking, writing, and acting in the support of and for safety. Farm Machinery Is Dangerous Farm machinery is designed for serious work, reminds the Cooperative Extension Service Farm and Home Safety Com mittee of The Pennsylvania State University. Every year, child riders are thrown from farm machinery and seriously hurt... all because a father or older one couldn’t say no. Pro tect children, because they don’t , understand danger. Badger Barn Cleaner: No. 1 Unmatched quality. See the 561 transmission with its thick, heavy gears and giant semi-steel main cast ing, the rugged long-lasting drop forged chain; the box-beam construe tion of the elevator. Engineered to ' handle biggest loads, longest bams. « ~ Expertly installed by your Badger IBOK6S thl/lOS f!JOVO specialist. Show-Eose Stoll Co. Isaac W. Hurst Lancaster Carl L. Shirk Grumelli Farm Service Colebrook Rd., Fontana Quarryville Broiler Placements Up Placements of broiler chicks in the Commonwealth during the week ending July 12 was 1,068,- 000. The placements were 17% above the same week a year ear lier and 13% above the previous week. Average placements dur ing the past 10 weeks were 10% above a year earlier. Settings for broiler chicks were 1,622,000 —■ 1% below the previous week and 1% below the comparable period a year earlier. The current 3- v/eek total of eggs set is slightly above the same period a year ago. Inshipments of broiler-type chicks during the past 10 weeks averaged 28.000—21% higher than the comparable period a year ago. Outshipments averag ed 317,000 during the past 10 weeks, 12% higher than a year earlier. Placements in the 22 States were 56.475,000 —7% above the previous week and 7% above the same week a year earlier. Aver age placements during the past 10 weeks were 7% above a year ago. Settings were 72,114,000 — 2% below the previous week and 6% above a year earlier. The cur rent 3-week total of eggs is 7% above the comparable period a year ago. FOR FAST | ON-THE-FARM H SERVICE I SWEIGART FIRESTONE 329 W. High St., Manheim, P*. Phone 665-2258 Blue Ball
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