Safety message delivered in Calmar
By Jean Caspers-Simmet
simmet@agrinews.com
Date Modified: 08/09/2010 3:31 PM
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CALMAR, Iowa —Three northeast Iowa farmers shared how they were injured in farm accidents and urged young people to be safe during the recent Progressive Ag Safety Day at Northeast Iowa Community College at Calmar.
Lynn Hageman of Calmar told the youngsters about his recovery from a tractor rollover. Joe Bullerman, a Calmar farmer, talked about getting caught in a power sweep in his grain bin. Ruthie Fritcher, a Lime Springs farmer, recounted getting run over by a tractor.
Read their stories elsewhere in this week's paper.
Hageman and Bullerman are neighbors and another neighbor, Ken Ehler, was also injured in a farm accident last fall. Hageman said the three get together from time to time at the South Winn Golf and Country Club, share a meal and talk about their experiences.
Hageman, Bullerman and Fritcher said they are grateful for the well-trained first responders in their communities. Because of their efforts, they were quickly stabilized and transported to hospitals equipped to treat their injuries.
The children attending the Progressive Ag Safety Day learned about tractor, auger, sun, personal and hand-tool safety. There were sessions on first aid and how to be safe at train crossings. Parents learned about the dangers of lead in older homes and how they can protect their families.
The program ended with a visit from the Med Link helicopter from Gundersen Lutheran Hospital in La Crosse, Wis. The flight crew talked to the children and let them look inside the air ambulance.
The farm safety day events were made possible, in part, by a grant from the Progressive Agriculture Foundation and national sponsors Bunge, Farm Credit, Agrium, Toyota, Pioneer, John Deere and Monsanto. State sponsors were Iowa Farm Bureau Foundation and Farmer's Mutual Hail Insurance Co. Local sponsors and donors included Bank Iowa, CUSB Bank, Nelson Dairy Consultants, Kerndt Brothers Savings Bank and Modern Woodman Fraternal Financial.