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Time is running out to complete fieldwork before the weather breaks and ground conditions turn for good ahead of winter.
Rushing to get jobs finished before this happens can see corners being cut, which is when accidents happen.
Keep safety in mind this autumn, taking responsibility for yourself, employees and family members who help out on farm. When it comes to farm safety, outlined are five areas to concentrate on.
1. Slurry
Dry weather is forecast for the week ahead, which will likely see farmers look to empty slurry tanks before the closed period starts.
Working with slurry poses many dangers. Mixing points should be covered when leaving the shed and yard to empty the tanker or to tend to other jobs.
Stay out of sheds once mixing starts and remove stock above tanks being agitated. Make sure PTO shafts have a guard in place with a safety chain.
Tractors should have adequate power and weight to handle the tanker under load, brake safely and work on sloped ground.
Tankers should have sound tyres, working tail lights and indicators for road transit.
Keep children and farm pets away from slurry mixing and fill points, where machinery is in operation.
Keep wing mirrors clean to improve vision when turning in yards, as the driver’s rear view can be restricted.
2. Silage
Dry weather in the week ahead will also see another burst of silage activity. Again, machinery should be in good working order, as handling wet autumn silage increases load weight in bales and trailers.
Tractors should have a front weight block for balance and traction, both in the field and when travelling at speed on the road.
Wet grass can cause slippage in the clamp, so take time to compact and roll the pit properly when buck-raking.
Silage sees a lot of machinery moving in and out of yards. Therefore, keep children and farm pets away from clamps.
Autumn grass is low in dry matter, which means bales tend to sag more. Increase the pressure on the bale chamber to pack bales tighter and ideally stack in a single row with bales on the round end.
3. Straw
When working with straw, follow the same principles on keeping machinery in working order.
If using a telehandler to load and unload, a warning beeper is useful when reversing.
A hydraulically operated bale spike makes handling safer when loading and unloading straw. The next-best option is a fixed bale spike. Do not load and unload bales with pallet forks.
Rachet straps are ideal to secure bales on a trailer. Be mindful of load height when transporting straw on the road to avoid power lines, branches and low bridges.
When unloading, keep heavier bales from the headlands and boundary swathes for the base of the stack. Make sure the top bales are not overhanging those in the lower half of the stack.
4. Removing the stock bull
Breeding will be finished in spring-calving herds. Be careful when removing the stock bull, as they can quickly turn aggressive when isolated.
To reduce aggression, run the bull with one or two cows settled in-calf in a separate paddock or the shed. Thin cows that need extra feed are ideal for this.
5. Weaning spring-born calves
Weaning can cause cows to become aggressive as they are separated from their offspring. When splitting outfits, do so in a handling unit with a race.
Do not split outfits by repeatedly opening and closing a gate with the aim of just letting calves out of the pen. Trying to hold back cows that are raised increases the risk of injury for animals and farmers.
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