Farm safety for kids: Program raises awareness over rural dangers

MATTHEWS -- Local residents are joining a national effort to increase the awareness about childhood farm safety.

Recently Monsanto Seed in Matthews became the fourth chapter in the state to join the national Farm Safety 4 Just Kids organization based in Earlham, Iowa.

"This is a rural area, but a lot of kids don't live on farms and they need to educated because they probably know someone with a farm," said chapter representative Robert Cook.

The chapter plans to work with different aspects of the community to help maintain the chapter and raise awareness about childhood farm safety.

"Even though kids are around the farm, they don't realize things that may be harmful to them," said Cook. "It's stuff farm kids should know, but sometimes take for granted."

Things like avoiding a mother cow with a new baby or staying away from machinery and not touching chemicals are some of the issues addressed through the program.

"We can do a family farm seminar where the whole family is together and does surveys of the farm. They walk around the farm to check and make sure the farm is safe," Cook noted.

Farm Safety 4 Just Kids is a non-profit organization and was founded by Marilyn Adams after the death of her 11-year-old son, Keith, in a gravity flow wagon of shelled corn on the family's Iowa farm. Today, the organization produces and distributes educational materials for farm safety. "It's a real good deal," Cook said.

Last month several of the educators in the surrounding counties met with the FS4JK representatives to discuss forming a chapter. Brenda Freed, Scott County Health Department health educator, was one of them.

"Robert and I had been talking back and forth for a while about starting up an educational program for farm safety. So when the Scott County Women in Agriculture's Farm Day came up (April 27)), we contacted the National Farm Safety 4 Just Kids," Freed recalled.

As a chapter representative, Cook, along with Dick Griffith, solicits area businesses to help fund the program so other organizations or businesses, such as the Scott County Health Department or Kelly High School FFA, can implement the program for local children.

Mindy Williamson, FS4JK community relations director, said currently there are about 140 Farm Safety 4 Just Kids community groups in Canada and the United States. The other chapters in Missouri are in Barnard, Mendon and Republic.

"Together, the chapters reach 1 million kids a year," Williamson said. "Those using the program can be any kind of farming -- from almond farming in California to Christmas tree farming in North Carolina."

While FS4JK can't really say how many lives they've saved with the program, Williamson noted when the organization began in 1987, nearly 300 children were killed in farm-related accidents. Today 104 kids die each year in a farm-related accident.

"There's lots of stories out there. A lot of groups start up because of something in their own community, and others start up to prevent something from happening in their community," Williamson explained.

According to the Center for Disease Control's National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, in the Midwest, the highest number of farm injuries occur in the 15-19 year-old age group with the second highest number of accidents occurring in the 0-4 year-old age group.

Machinery is the No. 1 cause of farm injuries and fatalities in the Midwest with the machinery in most cases being tractors. In the United States, 85 percent of the fatal farm injuries were to males less than 20 years old.

"The positive thing is that from a study done in 1982-1989 and 1990-1996, all of the categories have had a decrease," Williamson said.

When joining the organization, a chapter pays an initial fee of $250 and then an annual membership fee of about $200. During the initiation year, chapters receive a barn box of resources to teach farm safety and other useful materials. Monsanto is providing funding for the chapter as well as some of the local trucking companies and other businesses for purchase of different supplies, Cook said.

From local Jaycee chapters to fall festivals and Fourth of July picnics, Cook said anyone who wants to use the program can -- and it's free.

Freed, who has used the resources for various events, said the children love the information, especially the games and puppet show included in the program. She said: "It's just good information and knowledge for parents and the kids."

For more information about the Southeast Missouri Farm Safety 4 Just Kids Chapter, contact Cook at (573) 475-3032 or visit the official Web site at www.fs4jk.org.