For the second straight year, the Forage Systems Research Center, located in Linneus, held a farm safety day for local third, fourth and fifth grade students. The day, held on Tuesday, May 1, focused not only on farm safety, but looked at first aid, ATV safety and water safety as well.

“I think it’s important to talk safety with this age group,” said David Davis, superintendent at FSRC. “This is the age where a lot of kids start helping on the farm or helping with chores. I thought the students were interested in the stops and asked a lot of good questions.”

Nearly 150 students from six schools attended the safety day, from both Linn and Livingston counties. There were a total of 10 stops on the tour.

John Travlos, system administrator, talks to students about severe weather and explains how the weather station at FSRC operates.

“Every stop has information that these students should know,” Davis said. “Once it starts getting warm out, you hear about a lot of bad accidents – and we’re trying to help these students understand why the safety protocols are so important.”

Students got an up-close look at the safety equipment involved while an individual runs a chainsaw, learned more about the weather station at FSRC and how severe weather can hit at any moment, and saw how important it is to pay attention around grain bins.

Stops also included discussions on first aid procedures, how to spot poison ivy, electrical safety and each student was able to look through a fire truck.

The final presentations focused on water and boat safety, tractor safety and ATV safety.

“Once the weather warms up, a lot of these kids spend a good amount of time around water and ATVs,” Davis said. “It was really important for us include those talks during the day.”

FSRC gave each student, teacher and speaker a T-shirt and lunch. FSRC worked with several sponsors for the event as well, including: Earley Tractor (Cameron); Sydenstricker (Chillicothe); New Cambria Livestock Market, LLC; MFA (Brookfield); and AGRIServices of Brunswick (AG-Land in Brookfield).

For a closer look at the farm safety day, visit: flickr.com/photos/cafnr/albums/72157696406485645.

The Forage Systems Research Center is located at 21262 Genoa Road in Linneus, Mo., and is one of the University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources’ Agricultural Research Centers. For more information about the Forage Systems Research Center, visit fsrc.missouri.edu.