Progressive Agriculture Safety Day

Remember Ag Safety

October 22, 2019October 18, 2019 Brandy VanDeWalle

Last week I attended the Progressive Agriculture Safety Day coordinator training. This training provides excellent resources for the annual Progressive Agriculture Safety Day we have each May in Geneva. By participating in this program, national donors provides us the opportunity to provide youth t-shirts, access to vital curriculum materials and other support. At the training, two staggering statistics reinforced my reason for continually offering this program to area youth. In North America, every 3 days, a child dies due to an ag-related accident. Also, in North America, every day 33 youth are injured in an agricultural setting.

The vision of Progressive Agriculture Foundation is that “no child would become ill, injured or die from farm, ranch or rural activities.” As the mother of two school-aged children, I try to stress the importance of safety in and around crop and livestock areas, but it just takes one moment for an accident to happen so please remember to take it slow and easy this harvest season. The stress of farming and ranching is large and taking care of yourself is important not only for your health but to those around you.

Our local ag safety day planning committee will be meeting after the first of the year to plan our program. If you or your business would like to contribute financially to our local youth or be involved in our program, please contact me at (402) 759-3712 or brandy.vandewalle@unl.edu and I’d be glad to talk about ways to effectively teach our youth about ag safety.

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

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. Safety_Day

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 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

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/

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.

Programming, Youth

Progressive Agriculture Safety Day

April 12, 2012 Brandy VanDeWalle

Each year, many children are killed or injured on America’s farms and ranches. This summer, safety days such as the one being conducted on May 30, 2012 in Geneva, are being held in many locations across the United States and Canada. These events teach rural children how to prevent injuries and reduce the risk of farm incidents. During safety days, children participate in interactive activities that reinforce the importance of taking responsibility for their own safety, respecting parents’ safety rules and sharing safety tips with their friends and family.

Any youth who will be completing 3rd through 6th grade is invited to attend Progressive Agriculture Safety Day on Wednesday, May 30, 2012 at the Fillmore County Fairgrounds. This event is hosted by UNL Extension in Fillmore County, Shickley and Fillmore Central FFA chapters, 4-H and W.I.F.E.

Specifically at this year’s event, youth will participate in a variety of events designed to help them be aware of safety in potentially hazardous situations such as being on a farm or living in rural communities, severe weather, bike riding, etc. Youth will also enjoy sessions such as pedestrian bingo, seatbelt safety, assemble first aid kits to take home, learn more about where their food comes from and even receive a FREE bicycle helmet! This year’s premier event will feature a mock accident conducted by local emergency responders.

Local agribusiness professionals, merchants, and community members donate their time and resources to ensure this event is a day of fun as well as a valuable learning experience. April 23^rd is the deadline for early bird registration which is only $3.00 and includes lunch, snacks, a t-shirt and “goodie bag” with lots of fun materials. Youth are still able to register after April 23^rd for a $5 registration fee. Registration forms can be found on the Fillmore County Extension website. For more information or to register, call 402-759-3712 or email bvandewalle2@unl.edu.