Group pushes safety as farmers hit the fields

The corn plants are tall and brown across much of Iowa as harvest time is ready to begin. This is National Farm and Safety and Health Week. Organizers of the week in Iowa say it’s a reminder to pay close attention to the people who live on, work on and visit our farms.Shari Burgus is educational director for the Earlham-based group, “Farm Safety 4 Just Kids”. She says statistics have been kept for several years on the number of Iowa children who have been killed or injured in farm-related accidents.The lowest number of child deaths on Iowa farms was five last year. Nationwide, more than one hundred children die every year on farms and ranches and thousands are injured. Burgus says tractors are one of the biggest killers on Iowa farms.For more information, surf to “www.fs4jk.org” or call 800-423-KIDS.