The Blooming Prairie FFA Chapter poses in front of a combine at their Farm Safety Day.
Members of the Blooming Prairie FFA Chapter in Minnesota are using tractors, goats, horses and more to educate local elementary school students and ensure they remain safe on the farm. This was the focus of the chapter’s annual Farm Safety Day. This event allows members to educate children about safety on the farm using hands-on experiences, rather than a classroom.
The chapter partnered with local farmers to bring various types of equipment, including a tractor, grain cart, all-terrain vehicle (ATV), semi-trailer truck and even a combine. Members also brought animals, including horses, goats, cattle, sheep and dogs.
Members of the chapter led the attending students through different equipment and shared how to remain safe while being around machinery and animals. The chapter also invited its regional officers to share about FFA. Additionally, the chapter partnered with their local police department to have officers share about safety.
Minnesota Region VII officers teach students about FFA.
“I know a lot of the kids look forward to this every year, coming out and getting to see the farm equipment and the farm animals and learn about it all,” said Blooming Prairie FFA President Grady Steckelberg. Steckelberg has been helping with the event since he first joined FFA and is now a senior.
The event had an impact not only on elementary students, but the members as well.
“The people involved are still learning safety,” said Blooming Prairie FFA Vice President Wyatt Magnuson. “They know what the safety is for all the equipment, but they still get a refresher.” Magnuson hopes the event will help reduce accidents on the farm.
Chapter members pose with one of the horses they brought to the event.
FFA members also gained valuable communication skills through the event, as they were able to share information about their equipment, animals and FFA experiences. Members also learned how to apply their knowledge and skills to make a difference in their community.
“There are a lot of farm accidents that happen around the country,” said Steckelberg. ”My driving factor is to make those accidents less.”
