Sept. 1, 2006

AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES

Take Steps to Ensure a Safe Harvest

FAMILY AND CONSUMER SCIENCE

Spending Plans Are Important Money Management Tools

4-H YOUTH DEVELOPMENT

4-H Prepares Youth for the Workplace

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Take Steps to Ensure a Safe Harvest

Source: Larry Piercy

One of the most taxing periods for Kentucky farmers and their families is the impending fall harvest season. This is a peak season for agricultural injuries and an especially important time for farm families to remember safety.

All workers should be trained and physically capable of operating equipment and understand the safety procedures for it. Take time to talk to workers about safety.

Long working hours can lead to fatigue and stress, making you less alert to potential safety hazards. Take some breaks when operating equipment for an extended period of time. If possible, trade off with other workers for a change of pace.

Dress appropriately for the job. Avoid loose clothing, jackets with dangling strings, and sweatshirts that could become entangled in moving equipment.

Entanglement in moving parts, especially Power Take-Offs or other chain and belt drives, is a major fall harvest hazard. Inspect machinery and equipment to be sure shields and guards on moving parts are in place and in good repair. Replace ineffective or missing safety equipment. Before getting off field equipment, turn off the engine and wait for moving parts to completely stop.

It is a good idea to take the ignition key with you so another person does not unexpectedly start equipment while you are performing maintenance or repair. If you are working under any piece of equipment, such as a header unit, always use the jack stand or hydraulic cylinder locks to prevent it from suddenly falling and pinning you under. Be sure all safety locks are operational.

A pinhole-size hydraulic leak can cause severe tissue damage. If you are injected with oil from a hydraulic leak, immediately seek medical assistance. The oil must be surgically removed, and delays can result in serious infections and possible amputations. Always use paper or cardboard to check for hydraulic leaks. Tractor overturns and run-overs are leading causes of farm deaths. Being thrown off a tractor and run over is the second leading cause of tractor deaths in Kentucky. Equip older model tractors with a rollover protective structure (ROPS). Most tractors built after the late 1960s or early 1970s can be equipped with a ROPS for $600 to $1,200.

Make it a habit to use the seat belt to ensure you remain inside the zone of protection provided by the ROPS or safety cab. The seat belt also will keep you from being thrown off the tractor if you hit an obstacle.

Run-over injuries to extra riders, especially those involving children, who fall off are very tragic. Never allow any extra riders on tractors or equipment.

Keep bystanders away from operating equipment. Also, be aware of people who may have come into the area. Check around equipment before starting or moving it.

Carry a fire extinguisher on all tractors and self-propelled equipment, chiefly combines. Frequently check extinguishers to ensure they are pressurized and in good condition. To prevent fires on combines, be sure equipment is clean and hoses and fuel systems are in good shape and not leaking. Remove debris around engine components.

Check for clearances with overhead power lines when operating or moving tall machines, because contact may result in electrocution. Moving portable augers around overhead power lines is especially hazardous so always lower them first.

When filling silos, watch for the bleach-like odor indicating silo gas. This yellowish brown gas is heavier than air and will settle on the silage surface and may flow down the chute into adjacent livestock areas. Close any doors leading to livestock areas, keep the base of the silo chute well ventilated and do not enter a silo during the first two weeks.

Keep slow-moving-vehicle emblems and extremity markings clean and bright to help motorists notice equipment. Replace faded emblems and check headlights, taillights and flashing lights for satisfactory operation.

To alert oncoming drivers, use yellow reflectors or yellow retroreflective tape on the edges of towed equipment especially if they extend beyond the left side of a tractor. If a tractor has mirrors, keep them clean and adjusted for the driver to watch for approaching motorists. When possible, pull completely off the road to let a line of traffic behind pass.

Proper equipment management along with using safety precautions around the farm and farm equipment will lead to a safer fall harvest season for everyone.

For more information on farm safety, contact the (County Name) Cooperative Extension Service office.

Educational programs of the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service serve all people regardless of race, color, age, sex, religion, disability or national origin.

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Spending Plans Are Important Money Management Tools

Source: Suzanne Badenhop

A written spending plan is the road map that guides us with our money management. People who have written spending plans are more successful than those who do not write down their spending plans.

If you do not have a spending plan, the best way to begin is to keep a diary of your expense for a week, or a month. When you look at every expense you had, you will begin to see categories of expenses. Typical categories for a family spending plan include the following: housing (rent or mortgage; utility expenses such as electricity, gas, water, telephone, and cable television), food, clothing, insurance, debt payments, entertainment, etc. After you list all of your expenses, total up the amount you spend each week or month.

Remember to make a list of seasonal expenses you might have such as car insurance every six months, school supplies, and holiday gifts. Put a monthly amount to save for these seasonal expenses in your spending plan. When it is time for the car insurance payment, you will have the amount needed in your savings account.

Total the amount of your expenses. The next step is to look at your weekly or monthly income. How does it compare to your expenses for the same time period? If your income is less than your expenses, you can do one of two things. You can increase your income or reduce your expenses.

Most people have to reduce their expenses. Look at each category and see where you have some things you could do without or reduce your costs. For example, many phone company plans change often. Check to see if you have the lowest cost long distance service. If you are eating out several times a week, eating at home more may be a way to reduce your food expenses. Give up the premium movie channels on your cable television bill and obtain movie DVDs or videos free from the local library.

After you have a working spending plan, review regularly to make adjustments as you need to. Spending plans are never cast in concrete. They should be flexible and adjusted often.

For more information on personal finance, contact the (County Name) Extension Office.

Educational programs of the Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service serve all people regardless of race, color, age, sex, religion, disability, or national origin.

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4-H Prepares Youth for the Workplace

Sources: Martha Welch, Kim Ragland

“4-H is a community of young people across America who are learning leadership, citizenship and life skills.” Those words are more than just an organization’s mission statement. They illustrate the advantages that 4-H’ers bring with them as they enter the adult workforce.

Through projects, competitions and club work, youth in 4-H learn the basic skills that can make them a valuable employee. The 4-H experience embodies a sense of responsibility, leadership skills and confidence. When employers comment that they can usually recognize someone who has gone through 4-H, those are the qualities to which they are referring.

Nothing teaches the importance of responsibility more than a 4-H project. Whether it’s taking care of an animal, working on environmental issues or sewing, the young person must assume responsibility for making sure the task is not only completed, but completed on time. One of the important lessons learned by taking on a 4-H project is that actions have consequences, as do the lack of actions. If someone takes on the responsibility of caring for an animal and she doesn’t follow through, then that animal can be placed into a bad situation.

4-H teaches what are often called “soft skills.” These include punctuality, reliability, and the ability to get along well with others. It often doesn’t matter how well a person does the job, or how educated or informed that person is. If he is always late to work, misses deadlines, or can’t build good working relationships with fellow employees, he is often not viewed as a valued employee. Youth coming through 4-H learn at an early age about the importance of those soft skills, through the everyday experience of working on projects, team competitions and club work.

Judging programs teach 4-H’ers to make and defend decisions with logical reasoning, while skillathons teach them to master complex content. Competitions teach good sportsmanship as well as the important lesson that failure can actually be a motivator and a teacher. They learn that they can either say, “That’s it. I’m never doing that again,” or they can say, "OK, obviously I didn’t do so well on that one. What is it going to take for me to improve? What do I need to learn?”

When people think of 4-H members, they often think of future business and community leaders. In that, they would not be wrong. A great many of Kentucky’s public servants and business leaders came through the ranks of 4-H. There they learned to take on a task and map out the steps, all the while working with others and motivating them to reach the desired goal.

Strong communication skills are an integral part of any leadership role. When asked what it is they gained in 4-H, alumni often say that it is the ability to communicate that has helped them most in their careers. The public speaking program teaches youth to put their thoughts into words and communicate that to others, whether it’s one-on-one or in an auditorium filled with hundreds of people. Through talk meets and conferences, youth are taught that different groups require different means of communication in order to get the message across.

Another important lesson 4-H’ers learn is to give back to their communities. Community service projects introduce them to the issues facing their counties and towns. At the 4-H Issues Conference, participants learn how to address problems in their communities. They are given the skills to examine important issues, such as hunger, abuse or environmental concerns, and then return to their counties and begin the process of bringing people together to solve the problem.

Throughout it all, 4-H instills in its members the idea that it is important to contribute to society through work. The scope of the job itself is not as important as the fact that the person is doing the work and thereby contributing.

To learn more about 4-H youth development, contact the (County Name) Extension Office.

Educational programs of the Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service serve all people regardless of race, color, age, sex, religion, disability, or national origin.

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