When a farmer leaves the house in the early morning to get started on the day’s work and their family reminds them to “be safe,” it’s a pretty broad expression that encompasses different meanings. “Be safe” could mean watch your step when getting out of the combine or tractor. “Be safe” could mean wearing your ear and eye protection when fixing something in the shop. And “Be safe” could mean taking steps to reduce stress during a busy workday.  

The hazards are endless, but this week, Sept. 15 – 21, is National Farm Safety and Health Week and an opportunity to remind farmers to take steps in reducing injury and illness on the farm.  

“With harvest now getting underway, people tend to get in a bit of a rush and that’s usually when bad things happen,” said Pat Mullooly, Wisconsin Soybean Marketing Board director. “It’s important to remember to slow down, keep up on maintenance of your equipment and be cognizant of your surroundings.” 

While the physical hazards typically come to mind first when people think about farm safety, Mullooly encourages growers who may be under stress this fall to take care of their mental well-being as well.  

“Because we’re starting soybean harvest early, some growers never really got a break this season going from one thing to the next. That puts a lot of stress on folks,” said Mullooly, who recently stepped down as WSMB president. “Try to take a break or maybe switch jobs. Anything to keep your mind fresh.” 

Harvest also brings a lot of new faces to the farm who may be eager to work but not as knowledgeable as the usual farm crew, which can create safety issues as well. 

“We’re very thankful for the folks who come to help us out in the fall, but we tend to forget that they’re not working on the farm every day and maybe are unaware of some of the hazards,” Mullooly said. “Take some time to do some training and check in with them throughout harvest.”  

The overall theme for this year’s National Farm Safety and Health Week is “Don’t learn safety by accident,” or in other words: Don’t learn it the hard way. Throughout the week, the National Education Center for Agricultural Safety is hosting virtual webinars that correspond with the daily themes, which include equipment and rural roadway safety, health and wellness, generations of farming, confined spaces and reporting ag injuries.  

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, agriculture is the nation’s riskiest industry. In the year 2022, 417 agriculture professionals were killed in agricultural-related incidents.  

This year, along with every other year, WSMB is stressing the importance of safety on the farm. 

For more information on National Farm Safety and Health Week or to register for the daily webinars, visit https://www.necasag.org/nationalfarmsafetyandhealthweek/.