Commissioner of Agriculture Jonathan Shell has proclaimed Sept.15-21 as Farm Safety and Health Week in Kentucky to encourage farmers and farm workers to put their health and safety first at all times. Kentucky’s farm safety week coincides with the National Farm Safety and Health Week. With a theme of “Don’t Learn Safety by Accident,” this week emphasizes the need to keep safety top of mind while on the farm.
“The number of risks farmers face every day on the farm are numerous,” Commissioner Shell said. “Farmers must be vigilant about their surroundings from machinery accidents, chemical exposure, unruly livestock, grain bin entrapment, severe weather, and many others. In Kentucky, we have made great strides to mitigate these risks to make farming safer than ever before, but one farm injury is one too many. Whether you are on the farm, on the road, or in the home, please take that extra step to protect yourself and those around you.”
The Farm Safety and Health Week is dedicated to encouraging safe practices on our farms, but also addresses the safety measures the public can take to ensure they and their farming neighbors stay safe on the roads. Fall harvest time can be one of the busiest and most dangerous seasons of the year for the agriculture industry. For this reason, the third week of September has been recognized as National Farm Safety and Health Week. This annual promotion initiated by the National Safety Council has been proclaimed as such by each sitting U.S. President since Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1944.
The Kentucky Department of Agriculture (KDA) has encouraged safe practices on the farm through its Farm and Home Safety Program which provides educational resources and training to ensure the safety of farmers and their families. The farm and home safety team is always in high demand and in an average year appears in more than 100 events, including the National Farm Machinery Show; the Kentucky State Fair; WAVE Ag Day in Hickman, Kentucky; and the Milan No-Till Field Day in Milan, Tennessee.
The program, which started 25 years ago, added the Raising Hope project under its umbrella this year. Raising Hope, which began as a coalition between KDA and other agriculture, education, and healthcare institutions, is dedicated to improving the mental and physical health of farmers. In July 2024, Raising Hope was moved fully under KDA and joined with the Department’s Farm Safety program.
To raise awareness about the mental health resources available for farmers, the Kentucky House of Representatives recently passed House Resolution 59, which declares the Wednesday of Kentucky’s Farm Safety and Health Week “Farmer Suicide Prevention Day” in Kentucky.
To celebrate Kentucky’s farmers, KDA is hosted the second annual Farmers Appreciation and Awards Day Sept. 18 to honor farmers and their jobs, while also recognizing the risk they face in their day-to-day duties. The awards day, which was held in Frankfort last year, is designed to be moved throughout the state as the years proceed, this year being in Bowling Green at the Western Kentucky University’s L.D. Brown Ag Expo Center.
The event, offered free burgers, hotdogs, and ice cream, along with free health screenings and booths dedicated to education safety, health and rescue.
