Urging farmers to be careful with fall harvest

Fall is always a special time of the year as farmers get the opportunity to reap the benefits of what they hope will be a bumper crop. Harvest season is once again upon us as long as Mother Nature cools her jets in the rain department.
I have many fond memories of growing up on our family farm in central Minnesota. Besides operating a large hog operation, my father also ran 200 acres of crops, mostly corn and soybeans. In my childhood days, it was considered a larger farm, but by today’s standards it would be looked at as a peanut farm. 
Even though I ended up leaving our family farm for “greener pastures,” I have many cherished memories of my time on the farm. It’s a childhood experience I wouldn’t trade for anything in the world.
I have never lost sight of the hard efforts our entire family put into the farm operation, especially around harvest time. It seemed like it was always a race against the clock and calendar to get the crops harvested and the ground turned over in preparation for the next planting season.
My favorite aspect of the harvest season was hauling in the crops from the fields. I had a blast driving the John Deere tractors to and from the fields, bringing crops back to the farm. I also loved the aroma of freshly dried corn as it filled the crisp fall air and hearing the roar of the corn drier.
Anybody with connections to the farm knows hard work is a big part of farm life. I believe that’s where I gained my strong work ethic to this day. It’s my feeling that hard work pays big dividends in many ways.
During harvest time, my family banded together to get the work done. Besides my parents and siblings, my grandfather and uncles came to help get the farm work done. My grandpa helped on the farm until he was nearly 80 and physically couldn’t any longer. Being around my grandpa on the farm created a special bond between is that continued until he passed away.
Farming is not an easy occupation. In fact, it is one of the most dangerous jobs in this country. While growing up, I was surrounded by some unpleasant realities of farm life.
The harshest dose of how dangerous farm life can be came on harvest season when I was about 10 years old. I was working outside on the farm when I heard the news that my 13-year-old cousin was killed when the tractor he was operating tipped over and crushed him. This was an extremely tragic time for our family.
I also had a close call myself. I was operating a Bobcat and unloading rock into a hole. I raised the bucket too high, causing the entire machine—along with myself—to go flying into the hole. I escaped with a couple holes on my head that had to be stitched up. Some would argue, perhaps, that I haven’t been the same since. 
I have done stories on farmers who had fallen on hard times over the years. One in particular came last year when I profiled a Steele County girl who had her arm ripped off in a farm accident a few years before. 
Farmers will be burning the midnight oil in the coming weeks to harvest their crops. While this is necessary to reap the fruits of their labor, I urge all farmers to use extreme caution in operating tractors, trucks, combines and other heavy machinery. It may require farmers to slow down a bit and take just a little extra time to do the job safely.
Harvest time is upon us. Let’s all encourage our farm friends to go in hot pursuit of practicing farm safety. I don’t want this harvest season to be marred by tragedy for anyone.