Farm Safety and the Things We Can Control
She entered my house and came down to the studio like any other interview, but this one was different. This one was a mother who sat and told me the unimaginable story of losing her child.
Her 11-year-old son, Keith, suffocated in a gravity-flow wagon over 30 years ago and was lost to her forever. As we sat at the table, mother to mother, our eyes locked together as she told me the harrowing details of that dreaded October day back in 1986. She told me how excited Keith was to help his dad with the harvest finally. He even got permission to stay home from school on that fall day.
Marilyn got lost in the story, telling me the details of how they had prepared the night before, making sure Keith went through training to know what to do. They sat on the tailgate of the pickup and watched a falling star. The next morning, he was up and out of the house before Marilyn could wish him luck. She thought about calling his Grandma to give him a hug for her while she delivered lunch but didn’t get it done as she was already at work. She regrets that now.
All too quickly, her story leaped forward to a call from her friend, a nurse at the doctor’s office. She said Keith had been hurt. Marilyn got a ride to the hospital, convinced when she got there, everything would be okay. Only it wasn’t.
At the hospital, she learned that Keith had suffocated in the corn inside of the grain wagon in a situation that she nor her husband could have predicted. It wasn’t even on their radar to worry about. Keith was kept alive for another day on life support before they decided to let him go.
Marilyn readily admits, she fell apart that day. Just listening to her story and feeling a tiny bit of her pain as a mother, I fell apart a little bit inside too. My thoughts immediately jumped to my 11-year-old and my younger 8-year-old. What would I do? I hope I never have to know.
Farm Safety 4 Just Kids
After a long, long period of grief, the clouds lifted a bit, and it became clear to Marilyn that if she wasn’t aware of the dangers of grain entrapment, then other families like hers weren’t either. She started to look for some data, some numbers around these types of accidents, and surprisingly, there weren’t any. So, she set about to change that.
Marilyn formed the non-profit Farm Safety 4 Just Kids. They created educational programs to teach kids and their families about the dangers on the farm. Kids who, by nature and their life on the farm, are thrust into situations that could compromise any adult.
Marilyn spent the next three decades working to reduce the number of accidents like the one that took Keith’s life. She drastically reduced the number of accidents and sparked industry awareness and a more widespread network of safety programs focused on the farm.
Thirty years, thousands of chapters, and hundreds of thousands of affected kids later, she decided her job was done, and FS4JK closed its doors in 2016, donating the rest of its funds to 4H and FFA and turning its programming over to the Progressive Agriculture Foundation who is continuing her good work, today.
At the end of our conversation, we had a shared broken heart and a pile of wet tissues. It’s not an easy story to hear, and her gentle and kind nature somehow pulled me further into the dramatic turn of events, letting me picture it almost as if I was living it.
Throughout the conversation, there was a consistent message that 100% of these types of accidents are avoidable. You heard that right, 100%. Knowledge and caution are the keys.
Marilyn also wanted to leave everyone with one last message: that it’s OK as the parent to say no. If you are uncomfortable with a situation or feel uneasy about something your child is doing, you can say no. You can and should speak up. It just might make the difference of a lifetime.
Silo – Film About Farm Safety
Now, let’s rewind a few years ago when I was contacted by a New York film producer named Sam Goldberg. Sam was reaching out, trying to create a network and weave his way into the agriculture community over a film that he was working to produce. It was a film about grain entrapment.
Through a series of events, Sam became aware of a story about grain entrapment and decided it was a story that needed to be told. He started with a short film. I watched it. It was dramatic and honest and had my attention.
Knowing that it is our job to spread the safety message far and wide, we stayed in touch, and I watched from afar as he found the network and resources needed to make the full-length film. I finally met Sam in Iowa at a farm show and talked in person about his experience and drive in making the film.
Creating an independent film was a true labor of love, much like farming. There isn’t a budget to do what you need. You have to be resourceful. You have to be passionate about it…and often care more than you should. Sam is passionate, and while watching the film that night amongst a group of farmers and industry people, I could feel that passion come through on the screen.
It’s real, raw, and, at times, downright scary. The film is dramatic in an unsuspecting way, showing what happens in a community when a young boy is entrapped with grain. It details the efforts to rescue him. Sam and his team nailed it. It’s worth your time to seek out a location to watch the film (you can do that here), and if there isn’t a showing near you, be the person who spreads the message and talks to Sam about how to get a screening in your community.
Grain Entrapments Are 100% Preventable.
At the end of the day, I want to reiterate what Marilyn so poignantly said. One hundred percent of grain entrapment deaths are preventable….100%.
Start the conversation on your farm, in your workplace, with your family, or with your Co-Op today. Enquire with your local fire department about their training and equipment to see if they are prepared for a rescue in your community. If they aren’t, nominate them today via Nationwide’s Grain Bin Safety program, which awards fire departments nationwide with $5,000 worth of training and equipment to prepare them better for this situation.
Make the nomination by clicking here. It might just be the best few minutes you could ever spend.
Everybody Eats
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It’s interesting to know that a dedicated silo would be needed in order to have a working grain handling system. My uncle is quite adept at cultivating lettuce, tomatoes, and eggplant but he plans to expand into grains soon. I think some massive changes will to be done in his farm to accommodate for that.
I’m glad you talked about the importance of following safety regulations when it comes to gran handling. Recently, one of my cousins mentioned he’s interested in building a farm in his family’s land. My cousin wants to harvest grains, store them, and sell them, so I’ll be sure to share your advice with him. Thanks for helping us understand the dangers of neglecting grain handling safety.