Rural roadway safety videos

Farm Safety For Just Kids got some help from the Audubon (Iowa) FFA chapter earlier this month. These high school students reviewed four different rural roadway safety demonstrations, and let us film them presenting the various topics. The videos were uploaded to YouTube and are a part of the new rural roadway safety packet of resources expected to be available later this year.

The presentations included:
1. Size matters: The difference between a farm implement and a passenger vehicle in an accident
2. Seat belt safety: The dangers of not buckling up
3. Road surfaces: Various rural roadways impacted by the weather cause different driving conditions
4. Attitude impacts behavior: Watch as 8^th graders participate in an attitude continuum about road safety statements

The short videos are perfect to show in class or at a farm safety event. Teachers can also use the videos to get demonstration ideas for your class and lesson plans.

Look for even more rural roadway safety resources on our website later this year!

Small Town Big Deal: Show time!

The Small Town Big Deal episode about Farm Safety For Just Kids aired April 25 on RFD-TV. If you missed it you can check it out on YouTube!

We had such a great time with the crew from the show. Rodney and Jann are so genuine and the crew (Cheryl and Tom) were fantastic. The show liked our message so much they partnered with Nationwide Agribusiness to create the Top 100 Rural Safety Tips. Submit your safety tip on 100RuralSafetyTips.com and they’ll send you a free hat. We’ll compile the list and pick the top 100.

Like Small Town Big Deal on Facebook and tune in to RFD-TV Thursday nights at 9:30 p.m. Eastern/8:30 p.m. Central!

Check out our friends at Nationwide Agribusiness as well!

 

Behind the scenes of “Small Town Big Deal”

What do you find when you turn on the TV? The kind of shows that ought to be left on the mat with what’s tracked in from the barn. Even the news is caked with stories of tragedy and sadness.

One show is trying to change that. In 2005 Rodney Miller created a TV show centered on telling the story of small towns across America and the people who live there. Small Town Big Deal  went on air on RFD-TV in September of 2012 and quickly fell within their top 15 shows. Jann Carl (former weekend host of Entertainment Tonight) has joined as co-host for season two.

Jann described the show perfectly:

“What Rodney and his team have created is a true celebration of America. It showcases the heritage of our nation, the power of its dreamers, and pays tribute to the unsung heroes. The stories fill us with pride, give us hope, make us laugh, and remind us that national treasures are often found where we least expect them.”  -Jann Carl

Growing up an Illinois farm boy, Rodney was interested in the Farm Safety For Just Kids story after a chance meeting with one of our board members. Before I knew it I was exchanging emails and phone calls with Cheryl, the producer. A month later, the crew arrived at our office to film February 19 and 20.

 

The first day the crew interviewed Dave, our executive director. Afterward, they packed up and headed east to talk to Kristi Ruth. Kristi is a PTO accident survivor and former Farm Safety For Just Kids youth representative. I wasn’t able to go along that afternoon. Check out the pictures the Small Town Big Deal folks posted to their Facebook page.

The second day brought us to Guthrie Center, Iowa where Morgan, our Farm Credit Services of America outreach coordinator presented animal safety to the second graders. The kids were SO excited. Once they had a chance to wave at the camera they did a great job pretending Mr. Tom and his camera weren’t there.

 

From there we headed to Earlham, Iowa where Marilyn, the founding president lives and where Farm Safety For Just Kids began. Marilyn retired from the organization in May 2012 though she still serves of the Board of Directors.

We visited over lunch at The Chestnut Cafe (the egg salad is Rodney Miller approved!) The conversation was equally good as we lost track of time visiting.

Aside: The noon whistle went off in Earlham, and I found myself explaining how many small towns (in Iowa at least) still continue the tradition of a noon whistle to signal lunch break, in addition to impending bad weather.

Back out into the blustery cold to film Marilyn’s segment on the farm. They started shooting “b-roll” used only for the visuals, the audio is replaced by narration.

Thankfully we moved inside, and out of the cold for Jann’s interview with Marilyn.

 

The crew wrapped up a few last shots before heading onto their next adventure.

Farm Safety For Just Kids is so appreciative of the opportunity to spread the farm safety message to the viewers of Small Town Big Deal. More than that, we had such a great experience. Laughs were plentiful and conversation came easy. The entire crew is so friendly you walk away feeling like old friends.

So here’s hoping our new friends can make it back home tomorrow, despite the impending snow storm! We hope everyone in the path of Storm “Q” stays safe!

Multi-taskers: Women in ag

Women in agriculture are the queens of multi-tasking. Not just with household and farm duties, but outside responsibilities as well. It’s becoming more common for women to have a full-time job off the farm. So not only are they delivering lunches to men in the field, they’re cooking and cleaning while working a 40 hour week elsewhere.

Photo from eyewitnesstohistory.com

It’s been said that women are the “gatekeepers to safety” on the farm. With more and more farm wives choosing a career, what is the impact to safety if mom isn’t there all day anymore?

One farmer in Minnesota thinks it could have consequences. “One of the most dangerous things is when Mom works and leaves kids of all ages with Dad when he’s working on the farm.”

Obviously dads are just as concerned about their kids safety as moms. But often dads are the point person for the business. On any given day they’re getting pulled in 20 different directions. Apparently the farmer in Minnesota fears those responsibilities could potentially keep dad from supervising every second.

And then there’s the fact that farm accidents among youth has declined by nearly 60 percent since 1998.

Considering that figure takes into consideration there are fewer kids on farms now than there were in 1998 – one could say the trend of farm wives and mothers working off the farm has improved safety.

Possibly because if mom works “outside the home” the kids are in daycare, removing them from the dangers on the farm.

We want to hear from moms – who work both on and off the farm. What do you think?

Land of sunflowers and oil

North Dakota is the land of sunflowers and… oil refineries. Between 2010 and 2011 oil exports from North Dakota increased by 200 percent. (According tot he U.S. Census)

Oil has become a very big deal there.

Photo from dakota-north.com

We were there recently conducting a focus group with retired farmers, the issue of oil fracking was mentioned. Whether you agree with it or not, it is changing the face of agriculture, at least in North Dakota. After renting a car and taking a little side trip to the Peace Gardens, Shari (our education director) was amazed at the number of large rigs sharing the roads.

One older gentleman at the focus group said they have a farm that is divided by a two lane road. They raise cattle and can no longer safely move the livestock from one field to the other due to the number of semis using the road.

Now they have to load up the cattle in a trailer and drive across the road instead of herding them as they did in the past. The trucks make the 25 foot walk too dangerous for both the slow moving livestock and the farmer as well.

Other focus group members mentioned that they were concerned about their grandchildren being so close to the many large, fast moving rigs.

What has changed within the agriculture industry in your area that has created new hazards? More importantly, how do you stay ahead of it?

The infamous Dodge commercial and a question

Like most – if not all – of you, we really loved the Dodge Super Bowl commercial “So God Made a Farmer.”

Paul Harvey’s speech explains the beauty, struggle, and blessings farmers live every day. Even more so, it aired during the single most watched event of the entire year.

Millions of people watched that ad, folks. Millions of people heard those words and have a little better understanding of what it means to be a farmer. Millions heard Dodge declare 2013 the year of the farmer.

That is priceless.

More than that, Dodge is donating up to $1 million to FFA’s hunger prevention programs based on the amount of online interaction with the commercial. (Updated: An article in the Detroit News explains the donation schedule.)

In researching the overall project, I came across www.ramtrucks.com/keepplowing. It’s the website for the project. There you learn about Paul Harvey, the voice over for the commercial, the great things FFA is doing, and Farms.com (where a similar video started).

I scrolled over the “badges” where you can share the video on social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter. Catchy messages jumped out, encouraging people to share their support.

“I’m proud to be a farmer.”
“I’m proud to love a farmer.”
“I’m proud to stand with farmers.”
“I’m the rooster’s alarm clock.”
“My other truck is a tractor.”
“The farm is my playground.”

Hmmm…. a playground?

The farm safety advocate in me threw red flags.

The farm is a fantastic place to raise kids. It provides them with a natural atmosphere to foster imagination, respect, sympathy, and a solid work ethic. Much of that learned through adventure and play.

But (you knew it was coming…)

The farm is also a work site. Many farm safety advocates feel encouraging people to view the farm as playground trivializes the dangers present on the job.

What do you think? Should the idea of the farm as a playground be avoided OR are safety advocates getting bent out of shape over simple word choice?

Let us know in the comments!

Safety first: Falling

My junior year of college I got burnt out taking classes I didn’t think contributed to my degree. So I transferred from a university to a two-year community college to spend a semester… riding horses.

Ironically, the way the journalism program was structured the classes counted toward my degree.

I spent most of my weekends from the age of 8 to 18 trail riding, so I knew I had the basics. Granted, I’d never sat an English saddle in my life, I planned for an easy semester. I was thrilled to see things like polo wraps, a hoof pick, and curry comb on my supply list instead of calculators and books.

Literally, the first thing on the list though – a helmet. And the very first class, we were taught how to fall off.

Odd, considering my entire life I’d spent trying to stay in the saddle.

It showed. When the instructor shouted “BAIL” and everyone intentionally threw their weight off the side of their mount, I fell. Hard and flat. We probably fell 30 times the first day. By the end of the first week, I’d mastered the tuck and roll.

Fortunately, I never had to use it in any sort of practical sense while I was there. But looking back, learning to how to fall properly was one of the most important lessons I took away from that entire semester.

Have you taught your kids how to fall?

-Tracy