At harvest, everyone wants to help. Hauling grain, fixing breakdowns, combining, driving to town for parts and supplies and fixing meals to eat in the field are all important tasks during harvest. Harvest is a time where we spend a lot of time apart from our families but all work towards the same goal — a […] Read more
Working safely through another harvest season
Stay safe when you’re using that grain vacuum
Grain vacs are designed to make light work of what can often be a tedious chore. These high capacity and high efficiency (and high speed) machines can move thousands of bushels an hour (an upgrade from the shovel). Alongside the advances in grain moving technolog, come entrapment and engulfment hazards. Grain vacs are just like other pieces of farm equipment — there […] Read more
Keeping youngsters safe this summer season
With long, hot days on the horizon, children will be presenting parents with summer challenges unique to the season. Out with the school bell and the mad dash for the bus; in with curious kids at your feet looking to imitate you at every turn. For farm kids out on summer holidays, the insatiable need […] Read more
Think ‘safety’ when you’re cleaning out grain bins
Never enter a grain bin when you're alone
A key reason why people become entrapped in grain is because grain stored in bins is out of condition. A farmer enters the bin to break down the crusted grain and tragedy strikes, grain comes tumbling down and the person is engulfed. If grain is kept in good condition, no one has to enter the […] Read more
A late spring doesn’t mean forgetting about on-farm farm safety
It has been a long winter by all accounts. Farmers across the Prairies are anxious to get the seed in the ground. According to the Canadian Agricultural Injury Reporting data, agriculture-related fatalities happen most often from May to October. Of course, this makes sense, as this is when the majority of farming occurs; however, understanding […] Read more
Celebrate Canadian Ag Safety Week by supporting seniors
This March, the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association (CASA), the Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) and presenting sponsor Farm Credit Canada (FCC) are encouraging all Canadians to be part of the AgSafe Family during Canadian Agricultural Safety Week (CASW). Canadian Agricultural Safety Week is an annual public awareness campaign focusing on the importance of safe agriculture. […] Read more
Taking steps to prevent slips, trips and falls on the farm
“In theory the prevention of falls is simple. Nearly all falls result from conditions or practices whose hazard is obvious or readily discoverable. In practice, however, prevention is difficult because the detail involved is very great and it is necessary to improve the performance of practically everyone.” —From Safety Subjects, U.S. Division of Labour Standards, […] Read more
Attitude and the senior farmer
A safety audit of your farm is a great step to determine its current situation
Senior farmers have experience in spades. You have seen it all. Good years, great yields, good(ish) prices. Bad years, terrible yields, awful prices. You can probably fix it all. (Almost – some of that new equipment has many computer components.) You know your land like the back of your hand. What about physical capability? Is […] Read more
Keeping your grandchildren safe on the farm
If you talk to any grandparent, they say that having children was wonderful, but having grandchildren is pure joy. There’s nothing better than having a grandchild throw their arms around your neck and whisper “I love you.” These young people are a farm’s future and a grandparent’s legacy. The farm is an incredible place for […] Read more
Making farming safer for senior producers
In Canada, the face of farming is changing. More primary agricultural producers are women, and in the first time since 1991, the proportion of farmers under the age of 35 rose. However, the 2016 Agriculture Census also found that there were more farmers over age 70 than under 35. The reality of Canadian agricultural is […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
