RENSSELAER CO., N.Y. — Twenty-three 4-H members from Washington, Columbia, Greene, Rensselaer, Schoharie, and Saratoga Counties participated in The National Safe Tractor and Machinery Operation Program during April break, earning a U.S. Department of Labor’s Certificate of Completion. The NSTMOP requires successfully completing homework, written test, skills and driving tests. The certification is required for youth 14 & 15 years old to work with tractors and machinery on farms and agribusinesses other than family operated but we welcome all youth, fourteen and older, interested in learning how to be safe around equipment and on the farm.
We kicked off the week with a presentation from The New York Center for Agricultural Medicine & Health to enhance agricultural and rural health by talking about the preventative measures that should be taken on a farm. Then the teens visited agricultural businesses throughout the region to get a real-life overview of the occupational hazards of farming. The Eckhardt family, of Kinderhook Creek Farm in Stephentown, Saratoga Sod Farm of Stillwater, and United Ag & Turf of Greenwich, provided insight to the safety precautions implemented on their operations with behind-the-scenes tours. Tim Havens, from Falls Farm & Garden, provided a hands-on review of tractor and chain saw maintenance and safety. Cole and Laurel Gailor with Gailor Ground & Earthworks brought in an excavator, to go over safety around large equipment and in a trench, and Aaron Bogdan with H & M Equipment Co. Inc. brought in a skid steer and taught the kids how to operate it.
Thank you to the community partners and volunteers that also supported the program: Farm Bureau, Capital Tractor, Salem Farm Supply, the Washington County Fair, Bruce Church, Brian and Drew Armitage, and Pete Gibson, without the support of the community and local businesses, this program would not be possible! If you, or someone you know, would like more information about our Annual Capital District 4-H Tractor Safety Program or 4-H in general, please contact your local Cornell Cooperative Extension Office.
Respectfully submitted by Kandis Freer- 4-H Team Leader for Cornell Cooperative Extension of Rensselaer County.
–Cornell Cooperative Extension Rensselaer County
