Farms.com Home   News

Farmers support grain safety training and equipment

By Crispin Colvin, Director, Ontario Federation of Agriculture

Safety is important in farming, and many organizations work hard to raise awareness of being safe around farm machinery or when working with livestock. The topic of safety around harvested grain can be overlooked – but with grain harvest now underway in Ontario, it’s also an important one to know about.

In many areas of the province, you’ll see the golden fields of ripe wheat or barley become grain kernels and straw as farmers work on their fields. Harvested grain is hauled away from the field in wagons or tractor trailers, and stored in grain bins on the farm, delivered directly to a local grain elevator or sometimes even taken straight to a port for export.

Regardless of how it is handled and stored, however, it’s important to keep safety top of mind. Trailers and bins of grain can be dangerous when you’re working with them and it’s easy to become trapped inside – an experience often described like quicksand. If help doesn’t come in time, it can lead to suffocation.

That’s why the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA), where I serve as part of the provincial board of directors, is supporting a variety of projects around the province that focus on safety awareness as well as training for first responders who will be the ones called to the rescue – literally – in case of an emergency.

Through these projects, local and regional federations of agriculture are helping to fund grain extraction units and equipment for rural fire departments as well as training on how to use these tools. The goal is to ensure that an emergency call involving someone trapped in a grain bin or trailer will be a successful rescue instead of a recovery mission.

These projects are part of OFA’s Revive Fund, which was launched in 2021 to help communities struggling impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Through the fund, our 51 county and regional federations can apply for matching funding from OFA to help plan, develop and launch new projects and initiatives in support of agriculture and their local communities.

So far, about $975,000 has been invested into the program by the OFA, its county and regional federations and other partners since its inception, and new project ideas come forward every year.

Click here to see more...

Trending Video

Four Great Reasons to Love Canola

Video: Four Great Reasons to Love Canola

Canola oil is healthy, versatile, takes the heat and is Canadian! Canola oil is grown for you by 43,000 farmers in Canada.

** Why should I buy and use Canola Oil? **

Canola oil is your local choice for oil. Grown right here in Canada! Canola oil is the best blend of fats for good health. Canola oil is low in saturated fat and contains zero trans fat and cholesterol. Canola oil is a source of omega-6 which is important for the brain and essential for the growth and development of infants. Canola oil is also high in omega-3 fat which helps to protect against heart attacks and strokes. Canola oil is high in monounsaturated fats, which reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.

** When and where can I use canola oil? **

Basically, you can use canola oil to replace any type of oil in any recipe and here’s why… For the Health of it! With the lowest amount of saturated fat of any leading oil in your supermarket, it also contains a good amount of heart-healthy monounsaturated fat and omega-3 fatty acid it is an excellent choice for a healthy kitchen.

For the Heat of it! Boasting a high smoke point of 242C (468F) it is an excellent choice when doing high heat frying or deep frying. For the Taste of it!

Generally speaking, canola oil has a very mild or neutral flavour making it an excellent carrier for other ingredients in your dish. It allows for seasonings to shine and for key ingredients to be showcased. However, if you are looking for an oil to pack a punch you should try out a cold-pressed canola oil. Cold-pressed canola oil packs flavour and is excellent for bread dips, salad dressings or a quick drizzle to finish a dish for a great presentation.

*Yes, even to replace a solid fat!

Did you know you can make some of your favourite recipes even healthier by replacing solid fats with canola oil? Not only do you make the type of fat in the recipe healthier you also decrease the caloric content of the recipe because you will decrease the amount of fat needed. Basically, anytime a recipe calls for a solid fat to be melted you can replace it with canola oil.