New ag safety program sets commitment on teaching youth early

By MANDY SPIKES | Central Texas Edition

Teaching ag safety to kids Students from Florence High School entertain the Kindergarten class during Farm Safety Day, which was held at the Florence Elementary School on April 17. The high school students were members of the ag communications class, FFA officers, and upperclassmen FFA members. The purpose of the event was to educate the young students on the importance of farm safety. -- Photo by Mandy Spikes

April 24, 2003 -- With many children being severely in-jured or killed each year due to farm related incidents, the agriculture communication students of Florence High School decided that something needed to be done to educate young children on the dangers of farm equipment. They, along with FFA officers and upperclassmen FFA members, have put together a farm safety day to educate pre-K through fifth graders on the importance of safety while being on a farm or ranch.

Melissa Loerwald, the student's teacher, is very excited on what the 27 students have accomplished. "We originally started this program in 2001. The class decided to have a farm safety day at the local elementary school. We didn't have it the next year because I was having my daughter during this time. But, we wanted to continue the event, so we are doing it again for the second year."

Loerwald explained that ag awareness has been an important aspect in Florence. "We've been teaching ag awareness for about seven years now, but it was a generic training. Four years ago, we did a program with an ag theme, but it didn't work as well as we wanted it to. So, three years ago we went with a farm safety day. That was a great success.

"We have handouts which we give to teachers a few weeks before the event. We ask the teachers to go over the information with the students and hope the kids take the information home to their parents for a review. This is not only good information, it's important for children's safety."

She stated that through the national organization, Farm Safety 4 Just Kids, they received a $100 grant to purchase prizes and giveaways for the kids.

Lindsay Daniell stresses the importance of ATV safety at Farm Safety Day, which took place April 17 in Florence. -- Photo by Mandy Spikes

"The importance of the program is to teach kids how to be safe around farm equipment. We have a puppet show for the pre-K to third graders. The upper grades (third graders through fifth graders) go to the different booths that we have.

"We noticed that third graders were the most responsive when it came to information like this. That is why we have them go to both the show and the booths."

All of the kids that attend the event are given a farm safety sticker, as well as information to take home to their parents. "We think it's important to inform not only the kids, but the parents as well. When the kids go home, we want them to use the information that they learned here. We want it to stick with them throughout their daily life."

One topic of importance that's taught at the event is safety around ATVs. The phrase "no seat, no rider" was heard throughout the day as the children were taught that being careless around these vehicles is a dangerous matter.

"We were real selective on the topics we chose. We wanted to make the topics important enough to teach and yet useful to where they would use it at home.

"It's great to see the high school students working so hard at this. The little kids are more responsive with them teaching. The greatest lesson that my students are taking with them is showing them how to be responsible young adults while having fun at the same time."