UNL Extension Educator,
Webster County
November 23, 2011 Edition
I want to first wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! Of course by the time some of you read this via newspapers, it will have passed and you would be undoubtedly trying to recover from the abundance of food that we all seem to partake during this season – starting with Thanksgiving. In my case I usually refer to it as “bloating” or perhaps “overeating disease”. Actually I think that it is appropriate as many of us do just that. It is also appropriate in that it is because of efficiency and hard work of the American farmer that we are blessed with an abundance of good, nutritious, and safe food. That should not be lost on us as we celebrate all that we have to be thankful for. It is wonderful tradition that we have in celebrating harvest, family and all that makes America and our way of life---what it is!
Farm Labor Law Revisited: Back in September I wrote a couple of articles on the suggested changes that were being proposed by the US Department of Labor that I felt could have far reaching and negative effects on agriculture and farm families across the nation. I encouraged people to write their Congressmen and make comments to the Wage and Hour Division of the U.S. Department of Labor. At that time we had until November 1 to make comments. I understand that was then extended until December 1. I am glad to see that now people are starting to get concerned about this change in labor laws and hopefully we can still make a difference in the final decision of this new set of regulations. If we don’t, I think people will be dumbfounded and will say – “Oh gosh, we should have done something about this – what happened?”
For you that don’t know what I am talking about, the U.S. Department of Labor is proposing to change child labor laws pertaining to agricultural workers. I wrote in detail, and outlined some of my concerns in particular, in the September 22 edition of this column. You can access it at our web site at: http://www.webster.unl.edu/. and scroll down to the “Horse’s Mouth” section. If you don’t have access to internet, please call our office at 402-746-3417 and we will get you a copy.
Yes, I know that there are deaths and injuries that occur every year on farms and ranches. I have been close to some that happened right here in this part of the country. There always has been, and I guarantee that more regulations won’t change that. Even with more regulations we will still have accidents. We know the risks and dangers of working on a farm and ranch and are cognizant of that aspect of our way of life. I am sure that those individuals wanting to change the laws are doing so with the intent of protecting our young people from potentially dangerous situations. I don’t disagree with their motivation. However, I do not believe a group of Washington, DC bureaucrats know enough about farm and ranch life to write a set of rules that will protect your children from farm accidents without seriously impacting your way of life.
I believe each of us know best how to teach and train our children to be safe while they work on the farm or ranch. All of us that grew up on a farm or ranch were the recipients of life-long learning. It was pounded in to us about the dangers of a nesting sow, or a cow that has just given birth. We understood that you don’t trust – even a “tame” bull or walk up unannounced behind a horse or milk cow. You knew better than to wear tennis shoes or sandals around livestock, and you knew what it felt like to get kicked in the shin, or get hit in the eye with the swinging tail of the cow we were milking. We knew what happened with PTO’s, or what happened if you got too close to equipment. My grandfather always held up his mangled hand as a reminder – that always drove home the point. You only had to touch an electric fence once to know what it did. Why, we even knew what happened if you put your tongue on a frozen pump handle!
It seems that more and more our government is becoming a nanny state – telling us what we can and cannot do. It is if they don’t believe that we have enough intelligence or sense to make our own decisions or to live with those decisions. It seems they don’t trust our grandparents and/or parents to teach and train us properly. The fact is, I really believe that you can’t regulate safety - you need to educate - and experience is the best teacher. This all speaks pretty loudly to me because it has far-reaching effects on our ag youth, including 4-H and FFA members who would be affected when they work on their 4-H projects, or FFA SAEs (supervised agricultural experiences), such as working on farms, feedlots, sale barns, or agribusinesses and even with raising and showing their own livestock. It could even impact detasseling crews!
I always viewed these opportunities as hands-on tools for learning and education and it would be a crying shame to lose that. I believe that because of these experiences students learned not only a great deal about agriculture, but also responsibility, work ethic and life skills. These are the very core of American tradition, morals, and work ethics – all things we should be teaching the youth of America. This experiential education is what actually helps to improve safety in the agricultural workplace, including farming and/or working with livestock. I have always found that to be the case. If we allow politicians to shove this kind of legislation or regulations down our throats it will just hurt all of us in the long run.
We need to make a stand! If you are concerned about these proposed rule changes, call your Senator or Congressman. Or you can still make public comments until December 1at: www.regulations.gov (Please identify all comments submitted in electronic form by the RIN docket number 1235-AA06). If you prefer to use the postal service, mail can be addressed to Wage and Hour Division, U.S. Department of Labor, Room S-3502, 200 Constitution Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20210 – but you would need to respond very quickly. It is up to you if we lose more of our freedoms ---or not!
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 WebsterCounty in Red Cloud, (402) 746-3417 or email to: dlienemann2@unl.edu or go to the !website at: http://www.webster.unl.edu/me
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