The US Department of Agriculture is redoubling an ongoing effort to improve farm safety, particularly among young farmers.
For the past thirty years, child agricultural labor laws have remain unchanged by the federal government. Several years ago, then Labor Secretary Hilda Solis, citing higher than average injury rates, attempted to update potentially obsolete labor regulations.
The proposed labor overhauls would have significantly limited the ability of minors to work on farms.
While outrage from the farm sector led Solis to abandon the plan, farm safety is still a major problem in the agriculture sector. According to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, “On average, more than 100 youth die each year in farm-related accidents. Thousands more are injured on the farm or ranch.”
Recent statements by Secretary Vilsack reiterate his commitment to improving farm safety.
“USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded $600,000 over two years to Pennsylvania State University, which will work with partner universities and a broad range of agriculture and education organizations to develop this training curriculum. The result will provide a unified approach to national youth farm safety education, as well as a formalized effort to educate rural youth who are working on the farm or ranch. Overall, NIFA has provided nearly $2 million in funding under the Obama Administration to complement the good efforts of America’s farmer, rancher and producer organizations to improve youth farm safety.”
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Written by: Justin Ellison / Farm Plus Staff Writer