Ag Safety Day – Views from VanDeWalle

Progressive Ag Safety Day

April 7, 2019April 4, 2019 Brandy VanDeWalle

Statistics from those impacted by a farm-related injury or death are sobering. Many know someone who was impacted by a farm accident that in many cases could have been prevented. This is why I feel so passionately about conducting the Annual Progressive Safety Day each year. The Progressive Agriculture Foundation provides safety and health information to rural communities that need it, which is why I’ve teamed up with them. The mission of Progressive Agriculture Days is simple – to provide education, training, and resources to make farm and ranch life safer and healthier for children and their communities.

During the program’s first year, a total of 2,800 participants and volunteers were reached throughout the South and Midwest and now the program impacts close to 110,000 annually. To date, the program has impacted more than 1.6 million children and adults.

Current 1^st through 6^th graders are invited to attend Progressive Agriculture Safety Day on Thursday, May 23, 2019 at the Fillmore County Fairgrounds. Youth will participate in a variety of events designed to help them be aware of safety in potentially hazardous situations such as electricity, emergencies, disability awareness, PTO demonstration, agricultural literacy, chemical look-alikes and others. This year, each youth will walk away with their own first-aid kit. Registration and consent form is REQUIRED by all youth who participate. This can be found at fillmore.unl.edu or by stopping by the Extension Office in Geneva or Clay Center.

April 19^th is early bird registrationat only $5 per child that includes a t-shirt, lunch, snack and goodie bag. After April 19^th, registration increases to $10 per youth in order to participate.

This event is conducted by Nebraska Extension in Fillmore/Clay Counties, Shickley and Fillmore Central FFA chapters, 4-H, WIFE, and Fillmore County Emergency Management. For more info or to register, call 402-759-3712 or email brandy.vandewalle@unl.edu.

Programming, Youth

Keeping Youth Safe

May 25, 2018 Brandy VanDeWalle

That, “no child would become ill, injured or die from farm, ranch and rural activities.” That is the vision for the Progressive Agriculture Foundation. The Progressive Agriculture Foundation governs and secures funding solely to educate youth and families on ways to make farm, ranch and rural life safer for children and their families. The Progressive Agriculture Foundation is the largest rural safety and health education program for children in North America, which Fillmore County is proud to provide one of those programs. In fact, over 400 safety days are planned across the United States & Canada reaching over 104,000 participants in 2018 alone. Since 1995, the Progressive Ag Safety Foundation and its sponsors has provided resources for over 6,972 safety days have occurred reaching nearly 1.3 million participants and over 347,000 volunteers.

On May 24, 2018 Nebraska Extension in Fillmore & Clay Counties coordinated Progressive Agriculture Safety Day for 128 area youth in collaboration with the local WIFE (Women Involved in Farm Economics), Emergency Management and Fillmore Central and Shickley FFA Chapters. The event for youth who just completed 1^st to 6^th grades provided hands-on activities for youth on a variety of topics from knife safety to healthy lifestyles to lawnmower safety.

This program is possible through the assistance of numerous volunteers from varying agencies or businesses including Plains Power, Nick’s Farm Store, Perennial Public Power, Fortify Group, Nebraska Extension, Shickley and Fillmore Central FFA Chapters. Sponsorship from W.I.F.E. (Women Involved in Farm Economics), Fortify, Fillmore County Emergency Management, Fortigen, Sutton Vision Center and Harre Seed. Lunch was served and provided by the Fillmore Central FFA Booster Club.

New this year, youth learned about the severity of the opioid epidemic and were given information on its devastating effects on people. Goody bags with lots of resources and other activities were sent home with the record-breaking number of participants. Each family received a weather radio this year as well. Local coordinator, Brandy VanDeWalle attends the annual Progressive Agriculture Safety Day training and works to coordinate this collaborative event. For information on how to be involved locally in the future, contact Brandy at the Fillmore County Extension Office at 402-759-3712.

Programming, Youth

Progressive Ag Safety Day

April 4, 2018March 30, 2018 Brandy VanDeWalle

Current 1^st through 6^th graders are invited to attend Progressive Agriculture Safety Day on Thursday, May 24, 2018 at the Fillmore County Fairgrounds. Youth will participate in a variety of events designed to help them be aware of safety in potentially hazardous situations such as electricity, emergencies, lawn mowers, tractors and pinchpoints, agricultural settings, and others. Youth will also learn about protecting their eyes and the opioid epidemic and how this impacts families. This year, families will walk away with a weather radio to use in the case of storms. Registration and consent form is REQUIRED by all youth who participate. This can be found at fillmore.unl.edu or by stopping by the Extension Office in Geneva or Clay Center.

April 20^th is early bird registration at only $5 per child that includes a t-shirt, lunch, snack and goodie bag. After April 20^th, registration increases to $10 per youth in order to participate.

This event is conducted by Nebraska Extension in Fillmore/Clay Counties, Shickley and Fillmore Central FFA chapters, 4-H and W.I.F.E. For more info or to register, call 402-759-3712 or email brandy.vandewalle@unl.edu.

Programming, Uncategorized, Youth

Progressive Agriculture Safety Day

April 7, 2017 Brandy VanDeWalle

Statistics from those impacted by a Safety_Day farm-related injury or death are sobering. Many know someone who was impacted by a farm accident that in many cases could have been prevented. This is why I feel so passionately about conducting the Annual Progressive Safety Day each year. The Progressive Agriculture Foundation provides safety and health information to rural communities that need it, which is why I’ve teamed up with them. The mission of Progressive Agriculture Days is simple – to provide education, training, and resources to make farm and ranch life safer and healthier for children and their communities.

2017 T-shirt Design Current 1^st through 6^th graders are invited to attend Progressive Agriculture Safety Day on Thursday, May 25, 2017 at the Fillmore County Fairgrounds. Youth will participate in a variety of events designed to help them be aware of safety in potentially hazardous situations such as bike riding, agricultural settings, electrical safety and others. This year, youth will walk away with an emergency disaster kit to use in the case of storms and other emergencies. Registration and consent form is REQUIRED by all youth who participate. This can be found at fillmore.unl.edu or by stopping by the Extension Office in Geneva or Clay Center.

April 21^st is early bird registration at only $5 per child that includes a t-shirt, lunch, snack and goodie bag. After April 21^st registration increases to $10 per youth in order to participate.

Programming, Uncategorized, Youth

Keeping Youth Safe

May 31, 2016May 27, 2016 Brandy VanDeWalle

That, “no child would become ill, injured or die from farm, ranch and rural activities.” That is the vision for the Progressive Agriculture Foundation. The Progressive Agriculture Foundation governs and secures funding solely to educate youth and families on ways to make farm, ranch and rural life safer for children and their families. The Progressive Agriculture Foundation is the largest rural safety and health education program for children in North America, which Fillmore County is proud to provide one of those programs. In fact, over 400 safety days are held across the United States & Canada reaching over 70,000 participants.

On May 26, 2016, Nebraska Extension in Fillmore County coordinated Progressive Agriculture Safety Day for 108 area youth in collaboration with the local WIFE (Women Involved in Farm Economics) and Fillmore Central and Shickley FFA Chapters. The event for youth who just completed 1^st to 6^th grades provided hands-on activities for youth on a variety of topics from bike safety to healthy lifestyles to agriculture literacy. This program is possible through the assistance of numerous volunteers from varying agencies or businesses.

Each youth took home a kit with supplies to get them started should an emergency situation arise.

This year youth learned what should go into an emergency kit and assemble their own kit to take home. Goody bags with lots of resources and other activities were also sent home with the record-breaking number of participants.

Programming, Uncategorized, Youth

Progressive Ag Safety Day

April 15, 2016 Brandy VanDeWalle

Current 1^st through 6^th graders are invited to attend Progressive Agriculture Safety Day on Thursday, May 26, 2016 at the Fillmore County Fairgrounds. Youth will participate in a variety of events designed to help them be aware of safety in potentially hazardous situations such as bike riding, agricultural settings, electrical safety and others. This year, youth will walk away with an emergency disaster kit to use in the case of storms and other emergencies. Registration and consent form is REQUIRED by all youth who participate. This can be found on the Fillmore County Extension website.

April 28^th is early bird registration at only $3 per child that includes a t-shirt, lunch, snack and goodie bag. After April 28^th registration increases to $5 per youth in order to participate.

This event is hosted by Nebraska Extension in Fillmore County, Shickley and Fillmore Central FFA chapters, 4-H and W.I.F.E. For more info or to register, call 402-759-3712 or email brandy.vandewalle@unl.edu.

Programming, Youth

Progressive Agriculture Safety Days Celebrates Twenty Years!

April 23, 2015April 20, 2015 Brandy VanDeWalle

Nebraska Extension in Fillmore County, Fillmore Central & Shickley FFA and the Fillmore County WIFE organizations are proud to help the Progressive Agriculture Safety Day® program celebrate its 20^th Anniversary by conducting a Safety Day on May 28^th at the Fillmore County Fairgrounds in Geneva, NE. This Safety Day is being planned for children currently in grades 1-5 and interested youth in older grades. This year’s program will focus on bike safety & helmets, pinch point demo, drug dog demo, medical helicopter visit, combine safety, hearing safety, train safety, lawn mower safety, electrical safety and more!For the past 20 years, the Progressive Agriculture Safety Day® program has continued the mission of providing education and training to make farm, ranch and rural life safer and healthier for children and their communities. Nebraska Extension has been helping the program achieve this mission for years. In 2015, ADULT safety sessions have been added with sessions that include: fire safety & extinguisher demo, grain bin excavation demo, electrical safety and hearing awareness for $10/person which includes a t-shirt, lunch, refreshments and over $50 of FREE safety items (guaranteed to the first 25 who RSVP).

Current 1^st through 5^th graders are invited to attend Progressive Agriculture Safety Day on Thursday, May 28, 2015 at the Fillmore County Fairgrounds. Youth will participate in a variety of events designed to help them be aware of safety in potentially hazardous situations such as bike riding, agricultural settings, electrical safety and others. A registration and consent form is required by all youth who participate.

From humble beginnings in 1995 with the introduction of 19 Safety Day Camps to achieving international recognition in present day with more than 400 Safety Days annually, the Progressive Agriculture Safety Day® program is now recognized as the largest rural safety and health program for children in North America. During the program’s first year, a total of 2,800 participants and volunteers were reached throughout the South and Midwest and now the program impacts close to 110,000 annually. To date, more than 1.3 million children and adults have been impacted by the program.

In recognition of the 20 year milestone, the Progressive Agriculture Foundation has encouraged coordinators of Progressive Agriculture Safety Days to incorporate this achievement into their loca SunSafetyWEB l programs in a variety of ways from participation in a 20^th anniversary t-shirt design contest to sharing past success stories.

The success of Progressive Agriculture Safety Day® program has been made possible thanks to the generous and continued support of international sponsors including as well as local sponsors. Dedicated community volunteers are at the heart of the Safety Day program fulfilling a variety of roles and assuring children receive hands-on experiences in a variety of safety-related topics including ATV, electricity, fire, animal, and farm equipment safety.

For more information about the Fillmore County Progressive Agriculture Safety Day®, please contact Brandy VanDeWalle at 402-759-3712 or brandy.vandewalle@unl.edu. Additional information can be found at http://www.progressiveag.org/

Programming, Youth

Keeping Youth Safe in Rural Communities

June 9, 2014June 6, 2014 Brandy VanDeWalle

Each year Nebraska’s farmers and ranchers come close to an accident – in the field, in livestock pens, in grain piles. Youth in rural areas are not excluded from this. To help teach youth safe on farms and rural communities, a Progressive Agriculture Safety Day was held in Geneva on May 29^th, 2014 for area 2-6^th grade youth. The program was coordinated by the local WIFE (Women Involved in Farm Economics ), Fillmore Central and Shickley FFA Chapters, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension in Fillmore County, with several other local businesses and organizations provided funding.

Eight-two youth participated in this year's program. — Eight-two youth participated in this year’s program.

Nearly three hundred volunteer hours were spent preparing for this event! Topics taught included animal safety, weather safety, citizen safety, food safety, electrical safety, ATV safety, mower safety, roll over demonstration, water safety and tractor safety. Nearly 50 older youth and adults volunteered their time to make the event happen. Presenters were from the NE State Patrol, UNL Extension, Fillmore Central FFA, Shickley FFA, Plains Power, Nick’s Farm Store, National Weather Service, Fillmore Co. Emergency Management, Geneva Activity & Education Dept., Farm Safety For Just Kids and Extension’s Master Naturalist program. A special thanks goes to the Fillmore County Ag Society for use of excellent facilities.

One session taught youth that their reaction time isn’t quick enough to save them if they had to make a split decision in addition to other tractor safety tips.

In addition to these hands-on sessions, youth received a headgear flashlight to take home and a “goodie bag” with educational safety materials reminding them and their parents what was learned. Progressive Agriculture Safety Day was conducted through the Progressive Agriculture Foundation, so each participant and volunteer received a t-shirt from Progressive Agriculture sponsors. Special thanks to sponsors for making this event happen at low cost to the youth!

At the conclusion of the day, youth expressed that they had a great time and learned safety tips that may someday save their or someone else’s life.

Youth

Progressive Ag Safety Day

June 3, 2013May 31, 2013 Brandy VanDeWalle

GroupPic13Web

Each year Nebraska’s farmers and ranchers come close to an accident – in the field, in livestock pens, in grain piles. Youth in rural areas are not excluded from this. To help teach youth safe on farms and rural communities, a Progressive Agriculture Safety Day was held in Geneva on May 30, 2013 for area 2-6^th grade youth. The program was coordinated by the local WIFE (Women Involved in Farm Economics), Fillmore Central and Shickley FFA Chapters, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension in Fillmore County, and several other local businesses and organizations provided funding.

Topics taught included sun safety, fire safety, internet safety, teamwork/leadership, chemical look-alikes, kids get arthritis too, grain safety, underground utility safety, tractor safety, and agricultural awareness. Nearly 50 older youth and adults volunteered their time to make the event happen. In addition to these hands-on sessions, youth received a first aid kit to take home, flashlight and a “goodie bag” with educational safety materials reminding them what was learned. Progressive Agriculture Safety Day was conducted through the Progressive Agriculture Foundation, so each participant and volunteer received a t-shirt from Progressive Agriculture sponsors. Special thanks to sponsors for making this event happen at low cost to the youth!

At the conclusion of the day, youth expressed that they had a great time and learned safety tips that may someday save their or someone else’s life.

Uncategorized, Youth

Progressive Ag Safety Day

May 3, 2013May 3, 2013 Brandy VanDeWalle

There is still time to sign up for Ag Safety Day which will be held May 30, 2013 with registration starting at 8:30 a.m. and wrapping up at 1:30 p.m. Area 2^nd through 6^th graders are invited to attend Progressive Agriculture Safety Day on Thursday, May 30, 2013 at the Fillmore County Fairgrounds. Youth will participate in a variety of events designed to help them be aware of safety in potentially hazardous hazardous situations such as fires, agricultural settings, the internet and others. Cost is $5 which includes a t-shirt, lunch, snack and goodie bag.

According to the Progressive Agriculture Foundation; statistics are sobering. Even more tragic is that these incidents could have been prevented if simple safety precautions had been followed. That’s why the Progressive Agriculture Foundation is on a crusade for farm safety and health. Their website reminds others that at the heart of this effort is the Progressive Agriculture Safety Day® program, formerly known as the Progressive Farmer Farm Safety Day Camp® program. Founded by The Progressive Farmer magazine in 1995, the program trains and provides the resources that local communities need to conduct one-day safety programs that are age-appropriate, hands-on, fun, and safe for children. The mission of the Progressive Agriculture Safety Days® is simple – to provide education and training to make farm and ranch life safer and healthier for children and their communities.situations such as fires, agricultural settings, the internet and others.

In 2012, KOLN-KGIN meteorologist, Tony DeGrand came and explained severe weather and the proper precautions to take when in warnings.

Since I have been in Fillmore County, we’ve had an Ag Safety Day every year, with 2013 being the eighth program. On average, seventy elementary and middle school youth participate with another 25-30 high school youth, mostly FFA members assisting and another 25-30 adults assisting in some capacity. Each year, I even learn more from the presenters’ topics and highly encourage you to have your child attend – you never know when just one piece of information could save a life!

This year’s topics include: Fun in the Sun, Kids Get Arthritis Too, Internet Safety, Simulated Smoke House, Look Alikes – Yikes, Spot the Top, Grain Safety, Dig This, AgVentures in Ag and Helpful Hands. This event is hosted by UNL Extension in Fillmore County, Shickley and Fillmore Central FFA chapters, 4-H and W.I.F.E. For more info or to register, call 402-759-3712 or email brandy.vandewalle@unl.edu.