Ag Literacy Coalition Sponsors

1st Farm Safety Day for Kids

     On Wednesday, April 15th, 250 6th grade students from Marion County participated in a Farm Safety Day Camp sponsored by the Marion County Ag Literacy Coalition with the assistance of many other groups in the county.  Meggan Hiestand, Ag Literacy Coordinator, served as the coordinator for this program.

     Rennegarbe, who was the featured speaker at the beginning of the first Farm Safety Day for Marion County school children, began her talk in a routine way, by explaining hat farming is a dangerous occupation, second only to coal mining.  Accidents such as tractor over-turn, PTO accidents, and grain bin accidents are only

a few of the hazards a farmer faces. 

     Mrs. Rennegarbe showed a picture of her son Nicholas, taken on September 27, holding his six month-old son Braxton in his arms.  The photo was taken just 2 days before Nicholas was dead at the age of 27.  At this point, the kids listened intently as Richelle desribed how Nicholas and her Uncle Greg Rennegarbe had entered the grain bin with poles to break up the crust that had formed over the corn and to get the auger to work.

     Nicholas was standing on the east side of the bin, she continued, when my her husband (Jeffrey) called out and asked if everything was all clear.  On being told that it was, he turned on the auger.

     “My son died in 15 feet of corn,” said Rennegarbe, adding “My son loved life.  When he went into that grain bin, he didn’t expect to lose his life.”

     Richelle said they tried to discourage my son from going into farming, but she said he loved farming and was involved in many community activities, including being a volunteer fireman.  “When the 911 call came in, they knew it was our farm,” she remarked, adding that firemen from Nashville, Addieville, Okawville and St. Libory showed up.

     In addition to the firemen, many local volunteers and farmers came out to help the family.  They had to cut into the grain bin to free him and all the corn spilled out onto the ground.  She said her family was overwhelmed by the outpouring of generosity and sympathy from the people in the community. 

     Safety, she told the kids, should be a priority.  Accidents can and do happen to anyone.  This was a devastating experience for the Rennegarbe family, they considered selling the farm.  She cautioned the children about fastening seat belts and wearing helmets when they ride bikes and four-wheelers. 

     Following Rennegarbe’s remarks, the youngsters watched a demonstration of a grain bin rescue by Jeff Decker, who is a Product Safety Manager for GSI, a maker of grain bins in Assumption.  Decker told the children that it only takes 15 seconds before a 185 pound person sinks waist-deep in grain.  The pressure of the grain, which is equivalent to 325 pounds, can suffocate an individual, and since the grain is often cold, the victim may suffer from hypothermia.

     “If the victim goes under, they usually die,”  Decker commented, adding that it is often necessary to cut away the sides of the bin to recover the body.  “You have to remove the grain from the victim, not the victim from the grain,” he explained.  Decker and a crew of Salem Firefighters then demonstrated how a coffer dam is built around the “victim,” who in this case was buried up to her waist.  Taylor Landers, Salem High School student played the part of the victim.

    

     In addition to the grain bin station, students also had the opportunity to see the Air Evac Helicopter.  Members of the Air Evac Lifeteam stressed the importance of the children wearing helmets when riding four-wheelers.  Most of the kids admitted riding their four-wheelers without helmets.  The Air Evac team explained they transport many children to the Children’s Hospital following four-wheeler accidents.

     In order to see what it would be like if they lost an arm, the children put on a shirt with one arm and made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

     Also, the Salem FFA students demonstrated for the children a simulated PTO (power take-off) accident where a balloon tied to a string, which represented their head and arm,  caught in a PTO.  The balloon only lasted a few seconds before it was popped. 

     The final part of the Safety Day was a demonstration by Tri-County Electric Cooperative called Hi-Line.  They demonstrated some of the special hazards of electricity and how quickly someone could be killed if they became tangled in a high voltage power line.

    

    -From the Marion County Agricultural Advocate