Farm Safety Course Equips Youth with Vital Skills for Agricultural Work

May 23, 2023

The Nebraska Extension Center, in collaboration with the University of Nebraska Medical Center, organized a farm safety course aimed at empowering youth from Lincoln County and beyond. The course specifically catered to teenagers aged 14 and 15, enabling them to obtain a valuable certificate that qualifies them to work on farms at this age.

The significance of this course, emphasized by coordinator Ellen Duysen, lies in equipping young individuals with essential knowledge about farm safety. While many of these teenagers may already have hands-on experience in agricultural work, they might lack comprehensive understanding of safety protocols and proper medical procedures in case of emergencies.

Duysen stressed the long-term importance of such training, noting that these teenagers may continue working on farms well into their senior years. Therefore, it is crucial to adequately prepare them for a lifetime of safe and responsible farm work.

By providing comprehensive farm safety education, the program aims to instill vital skills and awareness in the youth, ensuring their well-being and promoting a culture of safety in the agricultural sector.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.