Be S.A.F.E. this upcoming harvest season

National Farm Safety Week promotes farm safety education

Instituted in 1944 by the National Safety Council and declared as such by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the third week of September (9/14 – 9/22) is National Farm Safety Week. Agriculture ranks among the most hazardous industries, with fall harvest being one of the busiest and most dangerous seasons. Recent data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows this industry is consistently at the highest risk for occupational injuries and fatalities, with 573 fatalities in 2019, or an equivalent of 23.1 deaths per 100,000 workers. Farming is also one of the few industries in which family members, including children, are also at risk of fatal and nonfatal injuries. By increasing awareness of the safety and health issues facing agriculture workers, we can prevent them from occurring. (CDC)

This year’s theme, “Protecting Agriculture’s Future”, is very apropos since your safety, and all those working on your operation, set the stage for the future of farming.

According to Eric Dorr, Silage Specialist at Chr. Hansen, “Accidents are potentially avoidable. Every serious injury could have been prevented with proper education. The goal of every silage program should be to send everyone home safe at the end of every day.”

He continues, “At Chr. Hansen, we take farm safety seriously. Our SILOSOLVE® S.A.F.E. program is designed to help silage workers make S.A.F.E. decisions on the farm.”

Keys to keeping SAFE:

S (silage inoculant): Properly store and use inoculants according to label directions. This applies to every product you use on farm.

A (application): Apply inoculant to the feed according to label directions to enhance silage fermentation. Ensure applicators are routinely maintained and regularly cleaned and thoroughly sanitized for application success.

F (feed): Feed should smell fresh, be cool to the touch, and free of spoilage microorganisms and contaminants.

E (employees): Making and feeding silage can be dangerous. Follow farm safety policies and review the silage-specific safety guidelines established by the Bolsen Safety Foundation “Send Everyone Home Safe” (www.silagesafety.org).

The eight areas of silage safety awareness:

• ✓ Fatigue
• ✓ Complacency
• ✓ Truck and tractor rollover
• ✓ Fall from height
• ✓ Equipment entanglement
• ✓ Avalanche or silage collapse
• ✓ Silage gases
• ✓ Drug and alcohol abuse

Dorr recommends that, “Each farm should conduct safety trainings for employees prior to each harvest and implement the use of high visibility clothing such as safety vest for all farm workers.”

For more information, visit: https://www.chr-hansen.com/en/animal-health/landing-page/silage-inoculants

With an ever-expanding range of probiotics, Chr. Hansen works continuously to develop the products of tomorrow, enabling farmers to produce the high quality, sustainable, and safe food that global consumers demand. We have the world’s largest commercial bank of bacterial strains (+40,000), and from this strong foundation, we continue to innovate and produce the best bacterial solutions for cattle, poultry, swine, crops and silage. All this is accomplished from our strong platforms in bioscience technologies combined with extensive research and in close dialogue with our customers and business partners.

Chr. Hansen (www.chr-hansen.com) is a global, differentiated bioscience company that develops natural ingredient solutions for the food, nutritional, pharmaceutical and agricultural industries. At Chr. Hansen we are uniquely positioned to drive positive change through microbial solutions. We have worked for over 145 years to enable sustainable agriculture, cleaner labels and healthier living for more people around the world. Our microbial and fermentation technology platforms, including our broad and relevant collection of around 40,000 microbial strains, have game-changing potential. Matching customer needs and global trends we continue to unlock the power of good bacteria to respond to global challenges such as food waste, global health and the overuse of antibiotics and pesticides. As the world’s most sustainable food ingredients company, we touch the lives of more than 1 billion people every day. Driven by our legacy of innovation and curiosity to pioneer science, our purpose – To grow a better world. Naturally. – is at the heart of everything we do.