Duane A. Lienemann UNL Extension Educator,
Webster County
September 16, 2011 Edition Husker Harvest Days is still one of my favorite venues, even after many years of trudging the miles that it takes to see it all. I first had the opportunity to attend the farm show as the advisor for a bunch of FFA kids who just loved to go to “HHD”, as they called it. I am sure some of it may have been to get out of school, some I am sure was to get all the free stuff --like seed corn hats, pens, flyswatters and yard sticks. They each would bring back sacks, full of treasures, to the bus where they got to show others what they got, maybe trade back and forth, and for sure to reflect on what and maybe who they saw. A lot of them would participate in the Scavenger Hunt that I orchestrated, for the big prize that was given to the student or team that found all the items or got all the signatures. Although those things were the fun part of the trip, I also know that a lot of the kids were genuinely interested in seeing the new innovations in agriculture that were on display. They loved seeing and riding the new tractors, combines and seeing the newest technological wonders.
Oh sure, I am certain a lot of snacks were consumed – popcorn (plain and caramel), peanuts, sausages, milo cookies and roasted soybeans. A lot of them would brag about getting to go to the back of the tents at Pioneer, DeKalb, or a plethora of other booths to sit down to real food. I know for a fact that some students hit several booths, probably all companies that their families did business with. I always marveled at how adept the kids were in working to get invited in for food or talking a vendor out of a rain gauge or seed corn cap. I think it was a chance for these young people to practice their public speaking skills and sales and negotiations technique. It was fun for me for them to come and report back to me where the good tents were, who had the best food or cool gadgets. There was always excitement in their voices that only can be conveyed by youth. It was always gratifying to me as an ag teacher to see kids walking through the fields and watching the machines actually work, or sitting in the livestock building watching the latest techniques and learning about new vaccines, implants, or practices. The main objective of this day away from school was after all --education – but in a different form.
I would, by necessity, build a supply of pens and pencils from Husker Harvest Days. It seemed that I could not keep enough of those on hand for those in my classroom that “forgot” their writing utensil for class, or especially on test days. I made a habit of collecting as many as I could, and then was the lucky recipient of a bucket load from the sacks of the kids when we got home to the old “Ag Barn.” Ironically, it still is hard for me to walk through the many booths that offer up those items and not to pick them up. I don’t seem to go through them like I used to, and in fact probably have build an inventory that will dry out before I ever get to them. The memory still persists however.
One of the reasons that I make sure that I get Husker Harvest Days on my calendar is the people. Where else can you find so many people who have the same interests and background that I or others like me do. I rarely get very far without running into people that I know. Friends, neighbors, old classmates from high school and/or college and of course acquaintances from my work in extension, all fit that bill. It doesn’t take long to find new friends while looking at equipment or learning about new chemicals or seeds. People with similar interests don’t take long to acquaint. What I really like to see are former students, now adults who probably first tread those grounds as an excited, energetic high school kid with no troubles in the world. Some of those “kids’ now come back as parents with spouse, children or even grandchildren in tow, while others work the show as salesmen, managers or representatives. It just doesn’t get any better for me.
Federal Child Labor Laws: The U.S. Department of Labor is proposing to update federal child labor regulations, aiming to improve the safety of young workers employed in agriculture and related fields. While that sounds like something we all want, there are a couple of things that I think people should know. First, it would prohibit youth in both agricultural and nonagricultural employment from using electronic, including communication, devices while operating power-driven equipment. Secondly, it prohibits hired farm workers under the age of 16 from operating almost all power-driven equipment. The department also is proposing to create a new non-agricultural hazardous occupations order that would prevent children under 18 from being employed in the storing, marketing and transporting of farm product raw materials. Prohibited places of employment would include country grain elevators, grain bins, silos, feed lots, stockyards, livestock exchanges, livestock auctions/sale barns, and anything involving hoists.
Most problematic to me is that the new law in my mind actually revokes certain exemptions for 14- and 15-year-old farm workers -- even though proponents says that it does not compromise the statutory child labor parental exemptions involving children working on farms owned or operated by their parents. One of the most disturbing aspects of the rule, and what is expected to be more aggressive enforcement of the issue in 2012, is that with so many family farms being incorporated or even in LLC’s, the family farm exemption does not apply as universally as implied by this part of the new law:“Where the ownership or operation of the farm is vested in persons other than the parent, such as a business entity, corporation or partnership (unless wholly owned by the parent(s)), the exemption would not apply.”
I will touch on this next week in a lot more detail. This new proposed changes to child labor laws were just released last week and public opinion and comments will be taken until November 1. Stay tuned next week for further analysis.
The preceding information comes from the research and personal observations of the writer which may or may not reflect the views of UNL or UNL Extension. For more further information on these or other topics contact D. A. Lienemann, UNL Extension Educator for Webster County in Red Cloud, (402) 746-3417 or email to: dlienemann2@unl.edu or go to the website at: http://www.webster.unl.edu/ome
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