As harvest time nears, an Iowa-based farm safety group is offering a series of audio C.D.’s for kids that feature talking farm animals.
The set of four C-Ds uses humor to tackle serious issues like: grain bin safety, tractor overturns, fire prevention, electricity and the dangers of power tools.
Vickie Harbert, president of the Adel-based Farm Safety U.S.A., says, “There are 25 shows and each show deals with one safety issue per show.” Harbert says each program runs between six and ten minutes and is packed with amusing, animated animals telling tales about staying safe on the farm.
Harbert says the safety issues include: ATV dangers, chemical hazards, respiratory masks, livestock safety, grain safety and harvest time. Farming is one of the world’s most dangerous professions and some 300 children die on American farms every year. Kids between nine and 15 are at the greatest risk of getting hurt and most of those injuries are preventable. Harbert hopes the C.D. series can help keep those numbers from rising, saving lives — and limbs.
“The shows are written in a serious yet entertaining fashion,” Harbert says, “there’s a little bit of humor involved to try to create retention with the children, but we’re hoping also that the whole family gets involved. We’re hoping the adult farmer will listen to it as well as the children.”
Harbert says the series would not only benefit farm families, but the insurance industry covering farmers, farm implement manufacturers and suppliers, as well as Future Farmers of America, 4-H Clubs and other educational institutions teaching agriculture. For details on the discs, visit “ www.farmsafetyusa.com “.