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Harvest an appropriate time for National Farm Safety week

A farm safety consultant is calling attention to certain dangers as harvest begins.

Dan Stepper with American Family Insurance says guards and shields play an important role.

“A lot of times our shields are removed, which increases our chance of accidents.  And out PTO shaft sleeves get damaged, they get older, they’re plastic.  When those are not working properly, we tend to have more accidents.”

He tells Brownfield many farm accidents involve PTO shafts.

Stepper also cautions farmers against taking shortcuts this fall.

“It’s harvest season, we’re going to be rushed.  There might be an impending storm (or) you might be behind because of the last storm.  So be aware of when you’re in a hurry.  Typically something happens when we skip a step and not think about our safety.”

This is National Farm Safety Week.