sobering thought

[coolhl7]

My wife e-mailed me this tidbit today...I guess we should never get too comfortable on or around our tractors. Of course keep in mind farmers probably work twice the hours of anyone else, but still..................


Statistically speaking, farmers -- with a fatality rate of 41.1 per 100,000 -- are more than twice as likely to die on the job than police officers (18.2) and nearly four times more likely to be killed at work than firefighters (11.5).

 

[daTeacha]

Interesting figures, but I wonder if they would be the same if counted by hours on the job instead of people. Farmers tend to work a lot more hours per day or week than other folks.

Still, we need to keep in mind that a lot of that work is with tractors and related equipment and most of the time you don't have to get certified to run. Stuff that can make you into hamburger in a few seconds if you aren't careful. My neighbor, a lifetime farmer, lost a dog to a combine not too long ago. His lead man, also a lifer, tried to stop a rolling, loaded hay wagon by hand (he should have known better), got hurt bad, was apparently healing, then died from a deep staph infection about a year ago.

 

[Mith]

You can get killed alot of ways on a farm, and not all of them include tractors.

 

[Bird]

Very true, Mith.

 

[ToddW]

You can get killed alot of ways on a farm, and not all of them include tractors.

I know when I was growing up there were several deaths from silo accidents on nearby farms.

/Todd

 

[Farmwithjunk]

Interesting figures, but I wonder if they would be the same if counted by hours on the job instead of people. Farmers tend to work a lot more hours per day or week than other folks.

Still, we need to keep in mind that a lot of that work is with tractors and related equipment and most of the time you don't have to get certified to run. Stuff that can make you into hamburger in a few seconds if you aren't careful. My neighbor, a lifetime farmer, lost a dog to a combine not too long ago. His lead man, also a lifer, tried to stop a rolling, loaded hay wagon by hand (he should have known better), got hurt bad, was apparently healing, then died from a deep staph infection about a year ago.

From info furnished to me by my insurance agent, farming is surpassed only by underground miners and roofers as far as numbers of debilitating injuries and/or deaths per work hour.

Farmers have the highest percentage of severe hand injuries.

In recent years, farmers have one of the highest suicide rates.

Also farmers have one of the highest percentages of bankruptcies.

Armed with that info, why would a young man or woman wish to work the soil?

 

[flusher]

In recent years, farmers have one of the highest suicide rates.

Also farmers have one of the highest percentages of bankruptcies.

Armed with that info, why would a young man or woman wish to work the soil?

High suicide rate---I can believe that.

Headlines in today's Sacramento Bee: 70% of the CA navel orange crop has been lost due to freezing temperatures the last month. Looks like avocados, strawberries, blueberries and leafy greens will be clobbered also. Holy guacamole!!!!

We had a bout of really warm weather last year in late Jan06 and then more low temps in Feb. My almond trees started to blossom prematurely. Result: no nuts last year for the squirrels. The almond orchards around here were hit bad by that false spring. Walnuts apparently did OK.

And last year's olive harvest around the North Valley was about 30,000 tons compared to the normal 125,000 tons according to my neighbor who works at the Belle Carter olive plant nearby (BC packs the Lindsay olive brand, among others). BC buyers were scouring the globe last year(Spain, Italy, Turkey, South America) for bulk olives to keep the plant running.

Where's global warming when you need it.

 

[JRobyn]

Where's global warming when you need it.

In Atlanta!!!

 

[slaveToHorses]

dang I hate to hear that about Calif. I LOVE oranges and avacado's! (and the farmers of course!)

ya'll be careful out there.

 

[jbrumberg]

My wife e-mailed me this tidbit today...I guess we should never get too comfortable on or around our tractors. Of course keep in mind farmers probably work twice the hours of anyone else, but still..................


Statistically speaking, farmers -- with a fatality rate of 41.1 per 100,000 -- are more than twice as likely to die on the job than police officers (18.2) and nearly four times more likely to be killed at work than firefighters (11.5).

Add Armed Forces personnel, Nurses, Certified Nurses Aides and Certified Home Health Aides to the list and you have my "Real Heroes"; not overpayed, whiney, and entitled sports "stars (intertainers)" Jay