“Gearing Up For Safety” class aims to prevent farm machinery related injuries
Students ‘Gear up for Safety’ in the classroom and on the equipment.
A 20-hour “Gearing Up For Safety” class is entering its sixth year, training farm workers about machinery operation and injury prevention. Aimed at farm workers from 13 years of age to adults, the class provides instruction for safe operation in a classroom setting; and actual hands-on proficiency training behind the wheel of a tractor, pulling a trailer and even backing up machinery properly. Spanish-speaking participants are provided translation through earphones so they are included in every aspect of the class.
“We developed the workshop for safe operation of all kinds of farm machinery, from tractors and feeder wagons to harvesters, choppers and even all-terrain-vehicles,” says Don McMoran, Washington State University Skagit County Extension Director and Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension Faculty.
McMoran developed the curriculum for the five-week course consisting of 10 classes in collaboration with Purdue University researchers. The “Gearing Up For Safety” class welcomes farm workers from Whatcom, Skagit and Snohomish Counties for training that focuses on preventing common machinery related injuries.
According to the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I)’s just-released 2015 Washington State Work-Related Fatalities Report, workplace deaths in Washington declined to 58 in 2015, including a decline in fatalities involving motor vehicles and machines – a near-historic low. “The class has been a great success providing ‘Hazardous Occupational Safety Training in Agriculture’ certificates for those who successfully complete it,” McMoran said.
Dairy farmers are invited to free Anaerobic Digestion Field Day – June 9th
Dairy producers are invited to attend a free WSU Anaerobic Digestion Systems Field Day, June 9th, 8:30-3 p.m., at Edaleen Dairy and Honcoop Farms that have invested these technologies. Participants will get updates about anaerobic digestion, nutrient recovery including fine solids recovery; advanced nutrient recovery approaches; nutrient recovery products and their agronomic use; water quality and food safety issues; economics; and the potential for integration of biochar with Anaerobic Digestion Systems. 
The event includes lunch and bus transportation to and from the farms, so registration is required. For information contact Brooke Saari ([email protected]), (509) 663-8181. Register for this event at http://csanr.wsu.edu/ad-field-day/. Parking at Mt. Baker Rotary Building, NW WA Fair & Event Center, 1775 Front St., Lynden.
Discover Soils Field Day events focus on soil care and health
Automated feeder ensures proper nutrient balance for improved milk production and reduced emissions.
Approximately 40 agricultural producers from seven western Washington counties got hands-on manure nutrient training during “Discovery Soils Field Days” during April and May 2016. Events were conducted on-site at three dairy farms, where experts from Washington State University and Conservation Districts described different soil types.
Participants learned how soil holds water; how to interpret a soil test and nutrient profile; how to take a soil sample; and advice on how to properly apply manure-based fertilizer based on soil type.
“We learned about different soils, how they hold water, the importance of temperature and what weather conditions mean when applying manure nutrients to fields,” said Rod Perry, who owns Perry Farm near Lynden and attended the session at James Dairy near Custer. “We looked at the lagoon, separators and observed firsthand how everything worked.”
Perry Farm has been a participant in the Whatcom Conservation District’s Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) for planting native trees and shrubs along fish-bearing streams, ditches and wetlands. “It was impressive to see how James Dairy enhanced stream flow on their farm for more effective fish passage,” he said. “It goes to show how dairy farmers are embracing Whatcom Conservation District programs to avoid potential problems.”
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