Ag Safety Day on Thursday at Marion County Fair features speakers, demos

PALMYRA, Mo. — Marion County fairgoers can learn how to improve safety on the family farm during the annual fair at Flower City Park in Palmyra, says University of Missouri Extension field specialist in agronomy Nick Wesslak.

Safety Day runs 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 1, with demonstrations on grain bin safety from MU Extension’s Fire and Rescue Training Institute and high-voltage safety from Northeast Missouri Electric Power Cooperative and much more.

Longtime Marion County farmer Wayne Bier will share his experiences on how he escaped two common farm safety risks: grain bin entrapment and electrical shock.

During harvest of 2021, Bier entered a bin to break up a clump of corn that slowed the flow of grain into a waiting truck. He was buried in grain shallow enough that he could still keep his feet on the bin floor and his chin above the grain line. Luckily, workers on watch at the auger and the manhole were able to call 911.

At that time, a fire and protection unit in Illinois, nearly an hour away from the Bier farm, was one of the few to have equipment and training for grain bin rescues. Now many fire departments in rural areas have them.

The MU Fire and Rescue Training Institute trains volunteer firefighters throughout the state. FRTI’S mobile simulator grain bin will be on display during Ag Safety Day.

Bier also escaped death another time when part of his spray rig came into contact with power lines. The boom struck a 75-watt transmission line, causing a fireball and blown tires. Bier knew the main rule of when equipment accidentally runs into power lines: Stay inside the cab until help arrives to avoid becoming electricity’s path from the vehicle to the ground. The rig’s rubber tires provided insulation until he was able to call 911 for help. Representatives from the Missouri Rural Electric Cooperative will be on hand at the event to speak and demonstrate how to avoid electrical shock on the farm.

Bier, who has farmed for more than 60 years, is like many farmers who find that familiarity can be their worst enemy, says MU health and safety specialist Karen Funkenbusch.

“It is important to look for overhead power lines on roads and around the farm, even in familiar areas,” Funkenbusch said in a press release. “Even though you may have moved equipment on a road or around the farm before, always look to see if you have enough clearance. You may have new, larger equipment since last season and it may not clear power lines, or you may have new employees who are not familiar with how to work around power lines.”

Wesslak says the event will have plenty of other opportunities to learn how to improve farm safety. MU Extension, Missouri Department of Agriculture and other partners will provide interactive displays on rollover protection systems, power takeoff safety and pesticide and livestock safety. MU Extension’s Food and Nutrition Education Program group will be available to talk about farm-to-table topics.

Attendees also can expect many free giveaways including earplugs, safety glasses, dust masks, first aid kits, alligator clips, rain gauges and bags of popcorn.