CAYUGA CO., N.Y. — Each year, Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) of Cayuga County delivers a Safe Tractor and Machinery Operation Certification (NSTMOP) course. According to the National Safety Council, agriculture is the most hazardous industry in the nation.
The NSTMOP program is an intensive course designed to prepare youth ages 14-16 to safely work around agricultural hazards. The Tractor Safety Program provides the education needed to:
- understand how to act safely in different farm work settings.
- obtain safety information about equipment that they may be asked to operate.
- identify and correct farm hazards to prevent injuries and illnesses.
- educate others on safe farm work practices
- explore and become certified for farm employment, which would include the operation of farm tractors and machinery.
The main goal of the program is to educate youth to be responsible for their own safety in the farm workplace.
This year, sixteen teenagers from Cayuga and Onondaga Counties successfully completed the 8-week (24 hour) safety certification course. To receive a certificate, the students must pass:
- Skills Test-safely start a tractor and hitch a 3-point implements
- Written Test-evaluate the youth’s knowledge of agricultural hazards and health topics
- Driving Test-safely drive a tractor pulling a two wheeled implement through a course with spaces and boundaries.
The success of this safety program has been made possible by several local volunteers and farmers:
- New York Center for Agricultural Medicine and Health (NYCAMH)
- Raymond Donald & Sons, Moravia-Dean & Cindy Whitten
- Sunnyside Farms, Scipio Center – Greg Rejman
- Cayuga Onondaga BOCES, Auburn – Cale Jirinec/HERO Program, Jordan Anderson, Ty Gardner, Connor Glanville, Bryce Jirinec
- Cayuga County Sheriff’s Office – Brian Schenck, Sheriff
—Cornell Cooperative Extension of Cayuga County
