Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

Plan for Safety

Farm Safety is no accident.  Long hours and heavy equipment make for the best conditions to have accidents happen, but they don't have to.  This time of the year, well in advance of spring work is the perfect time to plan for the coming year, and SAFETY should be a big part of that plan.  It is very easy to convince yourself "it won't happen to me" and you may even think theres nothing that can be done in advance, but I'll say your wrong if thats your approach to a safe farm.

Had a close call last summer that illustrates the situation well.  I was in a hurry to hook up to an old three furrow plough to finish off the corners and around some utility towers in the wheat field.  The problem with the plough was the hitch pins were too short for my tractor, so I had to lock the three point hitch bars in place to sandwich the plough into place.  I had changed out one of the pins, but the second is part of a weldment and can't be replaced without cutting off the old one and welding a new pin in place.  Since this repair/modification would take a good part of a day and a access to a lathe, I didn't bother.  

Fortunately I wear steel toed boots/shoes almost all the time.  While hooking onto the plough, and struggling to latch in the stabilizer links on the three point hitch, the plough fell onto my foot.  Had I not been wearing those safety shoes, I would have three less toes today.  The shank came down squarely across my shoe and rolled onto my foot.  The pinch behind the steel toe was enough to break a toe bone and cut through the skin.  Also fortunately I was strong enough to lift the plough off my foot to get free.

This is no story of how proper safety equipment saved a trip to hospital, but rather a warning for all the things I neglected and missed.  Who knew I was hooking up equipment to even look for me if I was in trouble?  Why didn't I have my cell phone handy when working alone? Why did I not ask for help from my wife for the few minutes it would take?  And why didn't i fix this issue last winter, I knew it had to be done.  The entire situation was avoidable.

Now think back to those quick fixes you made in the field to get the job done, have you gone back over that equipment to finish the repair.  I am no saint when it comes to this, that pair of vise-grips clamped on the the adjustment thread for the one wheel of the cultivator is still there.  What will happen when that finally falls off, if I'm lucky I will work some ground a bit too deep or shallow, if I am less lucky while walking by the wheel will swing down and strike me.  Its a trip to the hardware store for a nut and 5 minutes to fix.  But when spring comes, its time to be in the field, not driving around looking for nuts and bolts.  

I will do myself a big favour and walk around my equipment over the next few weeks.  My goal, fix one issue every weekend.  At that rate, come spring all the little issues will be taken care of, and although the safety shoes will still be worn, I won't be planning on relying them.  If something looks dangerous, it probably is, take the time to make it safe when have the time, then you won't put yourself at risk, for no reason, later. 

Views: 161

Comment

You need to be a member of Ontario Agriculture to add comments!

Join Ontario Agriculture

Agriculture Headlines from Farms.com Canada East News - click on title for full story

ABP Working Groups address key issues

From traceability to trade structure, coal mining to wildlife conflict, ABP has active working groups on four of the most important files facing Alberta beef producers. Here are updates from each of the groups: Traceability Following the direction of resolutions carried by delegates at the 2026 Annual General Meeting, ABP’s board is forming a dedicated Traceability Working Group. The working group will examine traceability closely, with the objective of providing producer-driven feedback and solutions that reflect on-the-ground realities across Alberta’s beef sector. Members of the working group are being finalized, and will include representatives from ABP’s executive, directors and delegates; partner cattle organizations; and groups such as the Government of Alberta. The working group will be supported by a dedicated facilitator to maintain clear timelines, while also ensuring issues are thoroughly examined. The goal is to develop realistic, workable recommendations to present t

What drives the true cost of forage production?

New COP Network benchmarks reveal what drives forage production costs in Canadian cow-calf operations, from hay and silage to greenfeed, and where producers can improve efficiency. Forage is the backbone of every cow-calf operation — but how much does it really cost to grow? While feed is often viewed as a “homegrown” input, the reality is that forage production can make or break cost competitiveness, especially as input costs continue to rise. Data from the Canadian Cow-calf Cost of Production Network show wide differences in the cost of producing forages such as hay, corn silage, corn for grazing, cereal silage, and greenfeed. But the real insight isn’t just what those costs are, it’s why they differ from farm to farm. Forage costs vary, management matters This analysis includes data from 59 COP Network benchmark farms from 2020 to 2024, covering five major forage types — hay, corn silage, corn for grazing, cereal silage, and greenfeed. Hay remains the dominant forage on Canadia

Multiple pickup trucks under recall

Like any piece of farm equipment, pickup trucks are subject to recalls

Most regions hit the home stretch of seeding

Provincial seeding progress is nearly complete as 93 per cent of seed has been put in the ground across Saskatchewan. The latest figure is up from 80 per cent the previous week, but is still behind the five and ten year average of 97 per cent. The west-central region leads the way at 98 per cent complete, the southwest at 97 per cent, the southeast 96 per cent, the northwest 95 per cent and the northeast entered the home stretch at 92 per cent complete. But farmers in the east-central region still have some work to do as progress currently sits at 84 per cent. While it's a large increase from 63 per cent the previous week, it remains behind the five year average of 93 per cent for the region. Crops Extension Specialist with the Ministry of Agriculture Samantha Marcino, who is based out of Yorkton, notes the Calder area had 164 millimetres of rain and the Canora area around 72 mm. "This did increase the topsoil moisture levels, obviously, in those regions, and some of them were sit

Horizon School Division, Nutrien bring hydroponic learning lab to Lanigan students

Students at Lanigan School will soon get their hands dirty while learning about food production and agriculture. Horizon School Division and Nutrien announced this week a partnership that will see the installation of a hydroponic grow container at the school. Director of Education for Horizon Kevin Garinger says they first saw the grow container in Alberta a few years ago, and the one to be established in Lanigan is the first of its kind within the School Division. "Food security is so vital, and I think one of the things that we are trying to do through this process is educate our children about the impact of the work our farmers, our communities, and our big businesses do in support of agriculture in our province and ultimately across our country and world." said Garinger, adding its opportunities like this that can inspire students to pursue a career in agriculture. "If we make that impact, if we make that kind of impact on the ag industry, on our children to understand that the

© 2026   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service