MADISON CO., N.Y. — Did you know that in New York State, farm employees must be 16 years old in order to be hired to operate farm equipment or machinery? Cornell Cooperative Extension of Madison County will soon be hosting the 2017 4-H Agriculture & Tractor Safety Certification Program available to 14 and 15 year olds interested in gaining employment on a farm. This seven session course will cover many components of agriculture safety including tractor safety, animal safety, lawn, yard, and garden equipment. With the successful completion of this course, 14 and 15 year olds are eligible to be hired on a farm. The first session will be held at Morrisville State College, Marshall Hall Ag. Mechanics Shop and Classroom, on February 27th at 6:00pm.
This course is offered to teens to help reduce the number of deaths while operating equipment. To achieve this, the knowledge learned must be used wisely. To pass the course participants must attend every session, complete the work book, and pass both the written exam and the practical driving test. At the end of the course, participants will receive a certificate from the Department of Labor which is required by law to be obtained by employers from the youth before they can be hired to work on the farm.
The 4-H Tractor Safety and Certification Course class fee will be $10.00 for the manual and printed materials. This program is a cooperative effort of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Madison County, the Madison County FFA Agricultural Programs, and Morrisville State College. Sessions will be held at the following locations: Morrisville State College, Cazenovia Equipment, Gold Star Feed, Empire Tractor, Kelsey’s Monanfran Farms, and Madison Central School.
Enrollment is required before the first session which will be held at Morrisville State College on February 27th from 6:00-9:00pm. For more information contact Chelsea at Cornell Cooperative Extension at (315) 684-3001 ext. 111 or email [email protected]. Course registration is available online at: https://reg.cce.cornell.edu/_225 Use the “Filter by Host” drop down menu and select Madison County.
The 4-H youth development program provides opportunities for all youth ages 5-19 to participate in innovative, fun programs through which they develop life skills. 4-Her’s learn valuable skills, have fun, make new friends, solve problems, earn awards, practice citizenship, develop leadership abilities, and make a difference in their communities.
For more information about the 4-H Youth Development Program in Madison County contact Chelsea Jones or Alycia Schick at the 4-H Office at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Madison County at 315-684-3001 or visit us at http://madisoncountycce.org/ .
–Cornell Cooperative Extension of Madison County
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