The summer holidays are in full swing on a lot of farms and for many family farms it means an increased danger, especially if farms are busy at hay, cereal harvesting and silage, as is the case this week.

One of the best things you can do for your family farm business this week is get the AgriKids Farm Safety handbook, sit down with the family at the kitchen table and do the exercises that make the handbook a very entertaining, interesting and worthwhile exercise.

Handbook cover

The handbook is fun, easy to read and use and is a must do for all farm families.

Chapter 1

  • Farm visit checklist – before visiting any farm, children need to know something about the farm, so that they can be prepared for what’s happening and the different risks that operate on different types of farms

    • Chapter 2

    AgriKids workbook.

  • The signs – on entering a farm, you will see signs that clearly show the dangers on the farm and what to expect once you enter the farm.

    • Chapter 3

  • The farmyard – this is where most accidents happen and can be very busy at this time of the year – loading bales, slurry, silage etc are all in full swing.

    • Chapter 4

  • The animals – often because they are protective of their calf or lamb, animals can be very dangerous for small bodies that are maybe not expecting anything.

    • Chapter 5

  • The machinery – young farmers visiting farms need to stay well clear of farm machinery, as it can be very unforgiving. Safety equipment must be worn by small farmers as they go about the farm.

    • About the AgriKids handbook

    The farm safety educational handbook is a collection of safety facts, activities and games.

    The objective of this fun resource is to get more families talking and engaging on the topic of farm safety over the coming week, and of course, for all the weeks yet to come.

    About AgriKids

    Since 2015, AgriKids has been at the forefront of children’s farm safety education in Ireland.

    The story of AgriKids begins in 2014, when Ireland was set to have its worst year on record for farm accidents.

    That year, 30 people died on Irish farms, five of whom were children.

    Alma Jordan therefore devised a concept whose outcome would be to initiate a change in farm safety attitudes, so that communities could look to a sustainably safer future on farms – AgriKids was born and officially launched in June 2015.

    To download your free copy of the Farm Safety Handbook, or for more resources and advice, visit www.agrikids.ie.