Harvest is a busy time of year, and often a rush against mother nature to get all the crops out of the field. However, it’s important to stop and think about your safety and the safety of others. North Carolina Farm Bureau Field Representative Callie Carson encourages farmers to be proactive when it comes to harvest safety.
“The challenge with safety is that it usually takes an accident for both farmers and communities to be safety minded. And if we’re proactive and think about what we can do to mitigate or even eliminate unsafe practices on the farm, we can save injuries, headache, heartache, financial investments, in some instances, even a death on the farm that’s related to an accident.”
Carson shares some tips on how to be safe during harvest season.
“Weather plays a big part in that harvest, and a lot of times farmers will say “I just have one more row, I have one more field, I’ve got to beat the weather.” So, a lot of times it’s just slowing down. And I understand that in terms of profitability, we’ve got to get the crop out, but the crop’s not any good if the farmer is injured or not there anymore.”
Carson says harvest safety goes beyond the farmer and includes community members as well.
“Rural roadways have obstacles, curves, hills, blind spots, trees, so what we ask our motorists to do is just slow down and pay attention, look for equipment, put down the phone, eliminate as many distractions in the vehicle as possible, and then also pay attention. So, if they see a piece of farm equipment as soon as they see that piece of equipment, slow down immediately.”
