Farm Safety and Health Week kicks off Monday; farming is the most dangerous profession

It's time to celebrate safety. National Farm Safety and Health Week, observed since 1944, runs from Sept. 15-21, with the theme this year being "Working Together For Safety in Agriculture," says a press release from the National Education Center for Agricultural Safety. This year's theme "is one that hits home and reminds us that it is everyone’s responsibility for safety both on the farm and the rural roadways of America," states the press release. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, agriculture is the most dangerous profession in the country, with 475 fatalities last year, or 21.2 deaths per every 100,000 workers. (Read more) (University of Missouri Extension photo by Emily Kaiser: The slow-moving-vehicle emblem is 50 years old)

Leading up to safety week, University of Missouri Extension has been publishing a series of safety and health stories on its website. Karen Funkenbusch writes about the slow moving vehicle emblem, which is now in its 50th year of use, and she also writes about grain bin safety. John Worden has a story about how parents and students should periodically review bus safety rules. Zoe Martin has a story for Iowa Farmer Today about how educating at a young age can eliminate bad farming habits before they form. Allan Vhynalek of University of Nebraska Extension, offers some added tips for traveling through rural areas in a story for The Banner Press in Butler County, Nebraska.

Some states are focusing this year on specific safety measures, with the Kansas Farm Bureau making tractor safety its goal for the week, according to a story in the Daily Rx. There are plenty of stories to write about farm safety and health, and we encourage journalists to seek out ones that would be of local interest.