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St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Lee Enterprises

Tuesday, September 9, 2008 9:38 PM CDT
Remember to be safe during the fall harvest

URBANA — The week of Sept. 21-27 is designated as National Farm Safety and Health Week by the National Safety Council. The employees of Illini FS want to stress to the farming community that it is important for farm families to keep each other safe.

Each year over 700 farmers and ranchers die in work-related accidents. Power take-offs (PTO) and tractor rollovers contribute to that statistic. Some older tractors do not have the safety control devices or the farmer chooses not to use them.

“As the fall season begins, be sure to follow safe work practices on the farm,” says Pat Titus, Safety & Regulatory Administrator for Illini FS. “After a long hard day of harvest, it’s very easy to forget about properly mounting and dismounting farm equipment.”

The recommended method is to use the three-point contact method. That means to have one hand and two feet, or 2 hands and one foot, in contact with the ladder at all times. Dismount in the same manner, going down the ladder facing the equipment. And never jump off!

Illini FS is an active supporter of the local chapter of Farm Safety Just 4 Kids. Activities of the organization include puppet shows to preschoolers, presentations at Farm Safety Days for grade school students, teach safety to high school agriculture students, and farm safety displays at annual meetings such as the Anderson’s and Eastern Illini Electric Cooperative.

Illini FS is a farm cooperative in Champaign, Clark, Douglas, Edgar, and Vermilion counties. They supply crop inputs such as seed, fertilizer, and professional services to their customers. For more information, contact 384-8300.

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