| Grinnell, Iowa — For the first time, Grinnell Mutual is sponsoring a farm safety academy specifically for students and is expecting nearly 100 students from four area Future Farmers of America (FFA) clubs to attend.FFA members from the East Marshall, Grinnell, Lynnville-Sully, and North Mahaska clubs will spend the day at Grinnell Mutual’s headquarters on Sept. 11, 2019. They will see live demonstrations of a tractor rollover and a grain-bin rescue, and learn how to safely control an ATV. There will also be a live electrical line demonstration. Grinnell Mutual has long been active in safety education for its agents, mutual staff, policyholders, and employees and is excited to expand its reach to students.According to the National Children’s Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety (NCCRAHS), on average, 33 children are injured every day in an agricultural-related incident. In fact, the official website in 2015, young agricultural workers were nearly 45 times more likely to die than in all other industries combined.“A young person dies in a farming accident about once every three days, according to NCCRAHS,” said Grinnell Mutual’s Director of Loss Control, Larry Gallagher. “These kinds of statistics underscore the importance of making farm safety education widely available. Our hope is that the students take what they’ve learned and share it with their neighbors and communities to broaden the impact, with the ultimate goal of reducing the number of youth injuries and deaths in the farming sector.” |
