By Ken Schroeder
For the City Times

AMHERST — Farming ranks as the most dangerous industry in the U.S. with a yearly death rate of 20.4 farm work related deaths for every 100,000 workers – six times higher than the combined average for all U.S. workers, according to the National Safety Council.

Recent farm fatality count in Wisconsin, released in late 2016 by the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene, showed 26 farmers, employees, and/or family members died in 2015 from farm work-related causes. To help both farmers and emergency response personnel understand the hazards of farming, a safety workshop will be held at the Biadasz Farm located at 7695 County Road D, Amherst on Monday evening July 23 from 6:30-9:00 p.m. and repeated Tuesday July 24 6:30 to 9:00 p.m.

Please arrive by 6:15pm to sign in.

The workshop will address:

-Manure storage and handling including pits, tankers, agitators, and manure gases safety and rescue.
-Grain handling safety and rescue to include demonstrations and discussion on grain bin, auger, and truck hazards and rescue challenges.
-Farm machinery hazards and potential rescue challenges including combines, self-propelled choppers, and potato harvesters.
-Animal handling safety and rescue considerations.
-This workshop is designed for emergency response personnel including firefighters, EMT’s and law enforcement, as well as farmers and their employees.
-Speakers at the workshop will include Cheryl Skjolaas, UW-Madison/Extension Agriculture Safety Specialist, Jeff Nelson, UW- Madison Machinery Specialist and Volunteer Fire fighter, Plover Fire Department personnel, and local UW-Extension Agents.

This workshop is free of charge, sponsored by the Mike Biadasz Farm Safety and Education Memorial Fund. For more information or to register call the Portage County UW-Extension office at 715-346-1316. You can also register online at https://goo.gl/bULtHx.