Progressive Agriculture Safety Day in Culbertson

Published: 2022
By Wendy Becker

Just because you don’t live on a farm or ranch doesn’t mean you don’t visit one, and your community feels the impact of the agriculture business. According to the National Children’s Center for Rural and Agriculture Health and Safety 2022 Fact Sheet, about every three days, a child dies in an ag-related accident. Every day, 33 children are injured in an ag-related accident, yet 60% of those injuries were not from working when the injury occurred. The top three ag-related injuries involved machinery, ATVs, or drowning. Working with the Culbertson School, MSU Extension received a grant from the Progressive Agriculture Foundation to host a School Safety Day. The program was delivered to more than 155 students, and 47 volunteers assisted in presenting important topics. T-shirts and take-home bags filled with donated items from various businesses, departments, and organizations across Roosevelt County and the Fort Peck Reservation were given. Topics included Water Safety, Electrical Safety, First Aid, Fire Safety, Grain Safety, Healthy Eating, Chemical Safety, Sun Safety, Erosion Control, lawn mower, tractor, and ATV Safety. The Progressive Agriculture Safety Day program is the largest rural safety and health education program for children in North America. Their mission is to provide education and training to make farm, ranch, and rural life safer and healthier for children and their communities.