Farm Safety Tips

As rewarding as a career in Agriculture can be, there are many occupational hazards that come along with the territory.  Unfortunately, most all of us have been or know someone who has been involved with farm-related accident.  And it isn't because we/they were careless. Like most farm accidents, they occurred during everyday activities.

The fact is farming and farms are dangerous. There are hazards literally everywhere you look.  Safety hazards should not deter you from farming or from moving to one. However, thinking about safety and making it a part of everything you do on your farm is important. Make your farm a safer place, and you will be able to thrive on it.  Here are several farm safety tips for you to consider:

Farm Buildings and Grounds

·         Perform a safety check of buildings and grounds for obvious fire hazards and hazardous materials.

·         Store farm chemicals securely where kids and animals can't access them. Then make a list of the chemicals for firefighters in the event of a fire on your property.

·         Keep weeds and grasses trimmed so tractor and ATV drivers won't run into hidden obstacles and holes that can cause the vehicle to overturn.

·         Maintain clean and neat work areas with tools stored out of the way.

·         Establish a safety boundary around gas and diesel fuel tanks and other flammable substances.

Personal Farm Safety

·         Don't wear loose clothing around equipment or work areas.

·         Use safety equipment the way it was intended. That means appropriate gloves, hearing protection and safety eyewear, not to mention face masks and respirators when working in dusty conditions.

·         Always have a helper nearby when entering grain bins, breeding pens or other high-risk areas.

·         Discuss safety concerns with children as you explain safe handling and operating procedures. Practice what you preach, and they will practice it, too.

Tractors and Implements

·         Keep tractor roll-over protection structures in place. If you have a tractor without one, get it installed today … and while you’re at it, buckle your seat belt.

·         Prohibit riders on tractor fenders, hitches, attachments or implements.

·         Shield all PTO-powered equipment drive shafts, and keep kids at a distance from them.

·         Never start or run gas or diesel engines in an enclosed area without being assured of good ventilation.

·         Outfit tractors and farm trucks with fire extinguishers and first aid kits.

·         Never exit a tractor or truck without placing it in park or engaging the emergency brakes.

·         Never leave running power equipment unattended.

·         Check and maintain equipment, especially hydraulic hoses and electrical cables showing cracks or other signs of wear.

Livestock

·         Keep animals in good health. An animal in pain and discomfort can react aggressively.

·         Treat farm animals with respect. If understand their behavior, you'll be ready for their actions.

·         Take extra care with farm animals at breeding and birthing

For more information on Farm Safety, contact the McLean County Cooperative Extension Office at (270)273-3690.  Educational programs of the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service serve all people regardless of race, color, age, sex, religion, disability or national origin.

McLean County Farmers' Market Begins June 3rd!

Steps to Safe Groundwater

Agricultural chemicals are an important part of many farm operations. Used properly, they help Kentucky farmers produce an abundant, safe food supply. If mishandled, however, they can contaminate groundwater, which is a source of drinking water for many residents.

According to Amanda Gumbert, UK Plant and Soil Sciences, you can reduce the chance that improperly used agricultural chemicals will contaminate groundwater by following these nine steps:

Read the manufacturer’s label for each chemical you apply and follow the directions for safe use and disposal. Never pour chemicals together before disposing of them, because it might cause a dangerous reaction.

Mix and store chemicals at least 50 feet from a well, sinkhole or surface water sources such as ditches, ponds, streams or marshes. This is because you can’t always detect which way a chemical will flow after a spill. Plus, subsequent rains can wash chemicals further, or in a different direction, than you think.

If you spill a pesticide on a hard surface, don’t wash down the area, because it might carry the material to other water sources. Instead, surround the contaminated area with dirt or sprinkle an absorbent material such as sawdust or kitty litter over the spill. Then, put the absorbent material in a strong plastic bag and dispose of it in a safe manner.

Always keep the filling hose above the tank water level when filling the sprayer to prevent back-siphoning. Put a clamp on top of the tank to hold the hose if necessary. Be sure someone is paying attention to the sprayer the entire time it’s being filled.

To prevent back-siphoning, install back-flow prevention or anti-siphon devices on the fill pipe between the water source and sprayer. A pump won’t always prevent back-siphoning, because a voltage drop or uneven water supply could cause a pump to “cough” chemicals out.

Triple-rinse or pressure-rinse agricultural chemical containers prior to disposal and empty the rinse water into the spray tank. Rinse containers as soon as they are emptied to prevent residue from drying out. Dispose of the containers according to label instructions. Many counties have plastic container recycling programs.

Store chemicals in a dry, well ventilated, cool location, preferably with an inward-slanting concrete floor. Keep chemicals in the original, labeled container that’s tightly sealed. Try to keep the containers off the floor by putting them on pallets or shelves.

Plan your required inventory and chemical purchases for the crop year so you can buy only what is necessary for that year. Try to use or give away leftover products instead of discarding them.

Inspect your well periodically. Pollutants can enter the well directly from the surface, openings in or beneath the pump base or soil next to the well. Be sure seals are tight between the pump and pump base and between the casing and wall of the bore hole. Check the pump for leaks. Locate and cap old wells.

For more information, contact the McLean County Cooperative Extension Service at (270)273-3690or the Kentucky Division of Environmental Services. The state environmental services division can assist with pesticide laws and recommendations as well as pesticide disposal and container recycling. The website is http://www.kyagr.com/consumer/envsvs/index.htm or call 502-573-0282.  Educational programs of the Cooperative Extension Service serve all people regardless of race, color, age, sex, religion, disability or national origin.

            

Take Extra Caution on the Roads this Planting Season

Go ahead and admit it, this has happened to you: You are running late, inevitably get behind some sort of farm equipment convoy, become very impatient and look for every window of opportunity to pass.  Some of you may even get a little aggravated at the driver and say things under your breath.  But while you are about to blow your gasket because this convoy has caused you to be little behind schedule, remember those guys and gals operating that equipment are now behind schedule as well thanks to Mother Nature.  They too are on a tight schedule and have a very important job to do. 

While some of the general public does get rather impatient with this “slower moving traffic”, remember that if it were not for that slower moving traffic there would not be any food on your table.  Instead of getting upset and trying to get around farm equipment as fast as you possibly can, take a second to think about all of the time, effort and hard work that our farmers put into producing our food supply.  And if you get a chance, stop and thank those farmers for taking on that laborious task. 

Not only should we be grateful that planting season is finally here, but we need to remember to be courteous on the roads.  Please take extra caution on the roads during planting season.  There are numerous tractors, planters, anhydrous tanks, plows and other farm implements on the road this time of year.  It may be a good idea to plan ahead and leave the house a few minutes early in case you do get behind farm equipment.  If you must pass, remember only pass in a marked passing zone and do so carefully.  Leave as much room as possible between you and the farm implements.  Also, please do not following farm equipment too closely.

Farmers, be sure to that your turning signals and brake lights are functioning.  If you do not have working lights, be use some other form of communication (such as hand signals) to let other drivers know your intentions (such as slowing down or making a left hand turn).  Also, the use of flaggers is very important when transporting equipment and can help prevent many accidents.  Most highway farm equipment related accidents happen while attempting left hand turns without the use of signals, flaggers or blocking incoming traffic so please plan to utilize these if you are not already. 

Remember that we all have a job to do and somewhere to be and someone to see and never enough time, but nothing is more important than our lives.  Please be courteous on the roads and respect other drivers, whether they are driving a car, truck, van, bus, semi or tractor.  For more information on farm equipment safety, please contact the McLean County Extension Office at (270)273-3690.  Educational programs of the Cooperative Extension Service serve all people regardless of race, color, sex, religion, disability or national origin.

Soil Compaction Creates Unfriendly Garden Site

I am so excited to finally have my garden planted.  Between the cold weather and all of the rain I did not think I would ever get anything put out (I can only imagine the frustration of all our farmers).  As anxious as I was to get everything set out, I knew in order to prevent a major soil compaction problem in my garden I had to be patient with the wet soil.  Soil compaction creates an unfriendly growing environment for plants and is a serious problem for many home gardeners.  However, it is relatively easy to prevent.

Compaction transforms soil into a difficult environment for plant growth by making it harder for roots, water and soil to penetrate the ground.  Major causes are working the soil when it is too wet, foot traffic and excessive rototiller use.

To reduce this problem, it is best to avoid working in the garden or walking in it when the soil is too wet.   Squeeze a handful of soil and if it forms a muddy ball, rather than crumbling when you open your hand, stay out of the garden area.

Walk between plants and rows in the garden area to reduce compaction in primary plant growth areas.

Excessive rototiller use destroys soil structure and promotes compaction.  When compaction takes place in a dense soil structure, it also makes root growth more difficult.

A little hand hoeing, rather than a rototiller, may be all you need to do to eliminate a few weeds. It usually causes less soil damage than repeated rototilling and is less harmful to the earthworms that help aerate the soil.

You also can use mulch to control weeds instead of tilling.  A two- to three-inch layer of mulch relieves the pressure of walking on the soil, reducing the degree of compaction. 

For more information about home gardening, contact the McLean County Cooperative Extension Service at (270)273-3690.  Educational programs of the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service serve all people regardless of race, color, age, sex, religion, disability or national origin.

Delayed Corn Planting Doesn't Mean Lower Yields -by Chad Lee, UK Extension Agronomist

Delayed Corn Planting Doesn't Mean Lower Yields

Chad Lee, Extension Agronomist, University of Kentucky

Corn planting is slower across the majority of Kentucky this year. Again, we are faced with the temptation to get into fields as soon as possible. Simply having some corn in the fields will help us sleep better at night. But if we get into the fields too early we may have nightmares later in the season. Getting into a field one day too early often leads to sidewall compaction, which can severely hurt yields.


Before we loose more sleep right now, we need to remember that we are farther along this year than we we were at this same point last year (Table 1). Also, there is no correlation between corn planting progress at this point and final yield for Kentucky. There is no correlation between corn planting progress for next week (1st week of May or Week 18) and final yield, either. Nor is there a correlation between planting progress and final yield for the second week of May (Week 19).

There are favorable forecasts for most of next week (first full week of May), so we should have time for soils to dry and time to plant corn into really good conditions. Finally, we are better off to not look at the calendar and simply look at our soil conditions before planting. 

Table 1. Corn Planting Progress for Week 17 in Kentucky from 2007 to 2014.
Week 17 is typically the last week of April.

Figure 1. Kentucky average corn yield and Week 17 planting progress.
Week 17 is typically the last week of April.

Figure 2. Kentucky average yield and week 18 planting progress.
Week 18 is typically the first week of May.

Figure 3. Kentucky average yield and week 19 planting progress.
Week 19 is typically the 2nd week of May.

Safety Tips for Lightning, Thunderstorm

Sources: Tom Priddy, National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, National Weather Service, other land-grant universities

Did you ever wonder why we have more thunderstorms during the spring and summer? It’s because weather patterns are more active as they move through Kentucky during these seasons, especially in the afternoon and evening.  The weather conditions also increase the potential for lightning to strike people at work or play outdoors and possibly while they’re inside a building.  Although thunderstorms are more common during the spring and summer, they can take place all year long and at all hours.

According to Tom Priddy, UK Weather Specialist, all thunderstorms produce lightning.  Sometimes called “nature’s fireworks,” lightning is produced by the buildup and discharge of electrical energy between negatively and positively charged areas.  An average lightning charge can provide enough energy to keep a 100-watt light bulb burning for more than three months.

Other dangers associated with thunderstorms are heavy rains that lead to flash floods, strong winds, hail and tornadoes. These weather conditions can injure or kill people and pets, as well as cause billions of dollars in crop and property damage.

Thunder results from a shock wave caused by rapid heating and cooling of air near the lightning channel.

Do you know how to estimate the miles between yourself and a lightning flash? Simply count seconds between lightning and thunder and divide this time by five.  Sound travels about a mile every five seconds. So if you count 30 seconds between lightning and thunder, lightning has flashed within 6 miles of you.  This puts you within lightning striking distance, according to scientific research.

What is the most important thunderstorm safety precaution?

Be aware of an approaching thunderstorm and move to a safe shelter before the storm arrives in your area.  If you see lightning, hear thunder, observe dark clouds or your hair stands on end, immediately go inside a sturdy, completely enclosed building, home or a hard-top vehicle with closed windows.  Avoid picnic shelters, sports dugouts, covered patios, carports and open garages.  Small wooden, vinyl or metal sheds provide little if any protection.

Since metal conducts lightning, don’t touch metal inside or outdoors; drop metal backpacks; release golf clubs, tennis rackets, fishing gear and tools, and get off bicycles and motorcycles.

Lightning can strike water and travel a long distance in it.  So standing in water, even in rubber boots, isn’t safe during a thunderstorm; neither are swimming, wading, snorkeling and scuba diving.  If you’re in a small boat during a storm, crouch in the middle and stay away from metal substances.

Crouch down in an open, exposed area and stay away from tall objects, such as trees.  Remember to stay away from clotheslines, fences, exposed sheds and other elevated items that can conduct lightning.

If you’re indoors, remember lightning can enter buildings as a direct strike, through pipes and wires extending outside or through the ground.  Telephone use is a leading cause of indoor lightning injuries in America because the charges can travel a long way in telephone and electrical wires, especially in rural areas. 

Windows and doors provide a direct path for lightning to enter a building; so avoid them.  During a thunderstorm, stay away from laundry appliances because they are connected to plumbing and electrical systems.  Dryer vents offer a direct electrical pathway outdoors.

Remember pet safety.  Lightning can easily strike animals chained to a tree or wire runner.  Doghouses generally aren’t protected against lightning strikes.

For more information, contact your McLean Cooperative Extension Service at (270)273-3690.  Educational programs of the Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service serve all people regardless of race, color, age, sex, religion, disability or national origin.