This is National Farm Safety and Health Week, which always falls right about when the harvest gets rolling. Tom Fricke from the Vermilion County Farm Bureau says there’s a reason for that. Farmers need to be reminded that sure, you want to go full tilt 24-7 to get it done, but please be safe with the equipment, and you.
AUDIO: Take rest breaks, make sure you take meal breaks, keep yourself healthy and safe throughout the harvest season. And don’t let the stress of the season wear on you too much. If you need to talk to someone, make sure you reach out, and talk to folks, and get that help you need.
And then, everyone out there driving in the country needs to be alert and safe. Farm vehicles will be on the roads, so be careful, be understanding, and be patient.
AUDIO: The roads will be busy with farm equipment, and they have the right to it just as everybody else. If we all stay safe around it; just use a little patience, which we all need to do in all of our driving. Getting behind a slow tractor for a mile is no more time than sitting at a stoplight in town.
As for the harvest itself, projections are that it should be better than first expected, and better than last year. But Fricke says, we shall see.
AUDIO: We had such heavy rains this year, there was a lot of ponding in a lot of fields.
And maybe not right away, but the “full picture for the harvest” will come once they’re further into the harvest. By the way, National Farm Safety and Health Week runs through this Saturday, but let’s stay safe all through the harvest.
