Delaware Farm Bureau’s Promotion and Education Committee Highlights Safety

At the Delaware Farm Bureau Promotion and Education (P&E) Committee’s annual Ag Safety Conference, community members and farmers from across the state learned about many aspects of safety on the farm and in rural communities.

First held in 2017, the Ag Safety Conference focused on Delaware’s current rural road safety initiative, highlighting the need for added caution when sharing the road with large machinery. Now in its seventh year, the conference has continued to grow, adding safety topics related to machinery handling and maintenance, physical and mental health, grain bins, ladders, ATVs, fall protection and more.

“Safety is more than reading a safety brochure or looking at a safety poster; it needs to be a part of who we are and a part of our everyday life,” said June Unruh, Delaware Farm Bureau’s Ag Safety Subcommittee chair. “You have to be consistent, too. You can’t just do it sometimes, because that’s when accidents happen.”

At the 2023 Ag Safety Conference, a panel of farmers spoke about their farm safety experiences, sharing personal stories, challenges they’ve faced, and lessons learned. They encouraged attendees to always be cautious, urging it is better to slow down and do something correctly, than having an accident occur.

In addition to sharing valuable information and resources, the conference fosters new relationships between Delaware farmers and urban attendees. New community partnerships were also formed, helping to further grow event offerings and reaching new audiences.

“You have to practice safety all of the time and you should make it a part of your day so when others observe you, maybe they can take away something from that experience and make it a part of their life, too,” Unruh said.

The Delaware P&E Committee is excited to continue to grow the Ag Safety Conference as they continue to advocate for agricultural safety practices throughout the year.

New Horizon Award

The Ag Safety Conference garnered Delaware Farm Bureau a 2024 New Horizon Award from the American Farm Bureau Federation. The award, which honors state Farm Bureaus with the most innovative new programs, is presented annually at the AFBF Convention.