Glenville-Emmons students to teach safety on the farm

Published 8:59 am Tuesday, April 17, 2012

 

GLENVILLE — Students at Glenville-Emmons High School are busy preparing for their Ag Safety Day, which will be May 10 this year.

Organizers Neil Meincke and Courtney Williamson have the usual events planned, including bringing farm animals and equipment to show youngsters how to stay safe around things they’d encounter on a farm.

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“They learn about safety so they know what not to do and how to be safe so they don’t get hurt,” Meincke, a senior, said.

Students in FFA will give presentations to elementary-age students in the district. Junior Tara Thorson plans to bring calves and talk to the younger students about what it’s like to show a calf.

“I’m excited to see all the little kids,” Thorson said. “It’s fun to hear their questions.”

She said while she hopes the kids learn more about animals and safety, she’s also excited to tell them about FFA since there are some who don’t know what it is. Senior Trent Thoms plans to bring at least one tractor to the Ag Safety Day, and he hopes to work with area businesses to bring in more equipment.

In the past students have worked with Erlandson’s to bring in smaller equipment like lawn mowers, Titan Machinery and other farm implement dealers to bring in larger equipment and Freeborn-Mower Co-op to talk about electricity.

“Most of the kids are city kids and aren’t out on the farm as much,” Thoms said. “We don’t want them touching stuff that could hurt them.”

Junior Kendra Davis is also looking forward to Ag Safety Day and hopes she and her fellow FFA members can get a hold of at least one of each common farm species.

“I do really enjoy teaching about agriculture,” Davis said.

In fact, Davis did a prepared public speech for FFA that garnered her a trip to the state convention April 22-24. Her speech was about a proposed revision to child labor laws that said no one under the age of 18 could participate in farming unless it was for their parent. Davis said many people help out on others’ farm or help neighbors.

“A lot of kids would be lost without farming,” Davis said.

In her speech she talks about her 4-year-old cousin Ethan who’s fighting cancer, and how his desire to be out on the farm keeps him going. Even though the provisions were postponed, Davis is still passionate about the subject.