Young people suffering fewer injuries on farms

Young people had 36 percent fewer injuries on farms in 2009 than in 2006, according to a new U.S. Department of Agriculture report. USDA surveys farmers every three years about injuries of workers under 20. Experts say increased focus on safety and more training and education have led to the decrease in injuries,  Bill Tomson and Mark Peters of The Wall Street Journal report.

Farm-related work has long been the most dangerous for youth, and the Department of Labor recently proposed new rules for child farm labor for the first time in 40 years. The agency withdrew the rule after complaints that it wouldn't allow youth to work on farms owned wholly or partly by their grandparents, for example. National Farmers Union president Roger Johnson said "the numbers are trending in the right direction" and "suggest the Department of Labor was well advised to back off a little." (Read more)