Posted on 12/19/2011 1:52:51 PM PST by Graybeard58
Shelly Mayer says she would never do anything to put her three children in harm's way on their family dairy farm, but she worries that proposed regulations could put an end to many jobs for farm kids.
As Americans, Mayer says, we are too protective of our children when it comes to physical labor.
"We have raised a generation of 'bubble-wrap' babies," she says.
"Parents dote so much on kids, they practically need an oxygen mask to go outside. And we wonder why they can't function in society."
Mayer and her husband, Dwight, have children ages 15, 13 and 8 on their farm near Slinger, Wis. They are among farmers nationwide who believe proposed U.S. Department of Labor regulations go too far in restricting what work kids could perform on farms, such as driving tractors and handling livestock.
The changes, they say, could dampen kids' enthusiasm for becoming farmers, especially youngsters who don't live on farms but have part-time jobs to gain farming experience.
Under the proposed rules, according to the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation, someone under 18 would not be allowed to do many chores for a neighbor or even their own family's farm if it's set up as a corporation or a business partnership.
Today, many family farms are legally structured as corporations or partnerships.
"It could take away a lot of opportunity," said Mayer, who also is executive director of Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin.
Under the proposed regulations:
-- Anyone under age 16 could not operate any power-driven machines unless the child was under the supervision of a parent or guardian.
-- Youngsters would be prohibited from handling noncastrated livestock older than 6 months, sows with suckling pigs or cows with a newborn calf. They also could not be in situations where an animal's behavior might be unpredictable, such as giving shots, dehorning or breeding.
-- Youngsters would not be allowed to work inside any grain silo, fruit or forage storage bin, nor would they be allowed to handle pesticides. Also, they would not be allowed to work at heights above 6 feet from a floor, including working on ladders.
-- The new regulations would prohibit teenagers from talking on cellphones or texting while operating a tractor.
After receiving thousands of public comments on its proposed regulations, the Department of Labor extended the comment period until Dec. 1 before moving forward with a rule-making process.
Nationwide, a child is killed in an agricultural work site every 3 days, and 41 young people suffer serious farm injuries each day, according to data through 2009 from the National Children's Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety.
"Children employed in agriculture are some of the most vulnerable workers in America," the Labor Department says on its website. "The fatality rate for young agricultural workers is four times greater than that of their peers employed in nonagricultural workplaces."
It has been more than 40 years since the Department of Labor updated child labor regulations for farms.
Farming has changed considerably in that time, with bigger tractors and other machinery that are a common cause of accidents and deaths.
It's time to update the regulations, according to the Department of Labor.
Children who work on their parents' farms are exempt from child labor laws, and they would remain exempt under the proposed regulation changes. They can perform any tasks, even dangerous ones, at any age on a farm owned or operated by a parent, according to the Department of Labor.
Removing the family-farm exemption would help prevent the most serious farm-youth injuries, according to Barbara Lee, director of the National Farm Medicine Center, in Marshfield, Wis.
"We need to think about the kids first," she said. "If you ask any parent whose child was killed in a farm accident, or who had a limb amputated, they would give anything to take that moment back. The injuries and deaths for children in agriculture are really gruesome and traumatic."
Farming is one of the nation's most dangerous occupations.
But while 81 percent of farm parents perceive the work to be more dangerous than other occupations, only 66 percent of those parents felt it was more dangerous for children to work on a farm than at other jobs, according to National Farm Medicine Center research.
Since she was about 7 years old, Addy Gonzales has been taught how to handle animals on her family's dairy farm near Elkhorn.
Now 14, she helps her mother and father with farm chores, provided it's not dangerous work and she has adult supervision.
"She would never be alone doing anything on the farm, even around the cows, because things can happen quick," said her mother, Kim Gonzales.
This legislation is intended to further the interest of large factory farms and squash small family farms.
I sure wouldn’t want to be the one to tell my 6-yr-old boy that he doesn’t get to drive the tractor until he’s 18... it could get really ugly really fast.
If there are any honest liberals left, think about this situation here. More government almost always favors the big guy and crushes the small guy. This is not the exception it is the rule. Are we really making the world a better place with all these over-reaching regulations?
That would end 4-H and FFA.
Who the F are they?
I grew up working summers on my Grandparent’s farm. It taught me a great work ethic, paid for my school clothes, and gave me a sense of independence. They are making the work out to be high risk. It’s probably more dangerous to be spotted on the street with your ipod showing.
I was in the cotton field at age five. By age 8 I was picking cotton. Every kid I grew up with drove a tractor from the time he (or she) was 12 years old if his daddy was a farmer.
good question, they are ANOTHER federal funded non productive agency looking for more money:
http://www.marshfieldclinic.org/nfmc/default.aspx?page=nccrahs_welcome
National Children’s Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety
The National Children’s Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety strives to enhance the health and safety of all children exposed to hazards associated with agricultural work and rural environments.
The National Children’s Center receives funding from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. In 2008, the center received a five-year, $4.6 million competitive grant to expand its initiatives related to injury prevention on farms. The project period runs through September 2013.
The projects funded cover a variety of research, education, intervention, prevention, translation and outreach to enhance the health and safety of children exposed to hazards associated with agricultural work and rural environments. The funding allows the Center to provide a wide range of services related to children and adolescents living in rural areas and working in agricultural environments.
The National Children’s Center staff has advanced training in injury prevention, health promotion, agricultural safety and related topics.
Are we really making the world a better place with all these over-reaching regulations?
http://www.marshfieldclinic.org/NCCRAHS/
“The National Children’s Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety strives to enhance the health and safety of all children exposed to hazards associated with agricultural work and rural environments.
The National Children’s Center receives funding from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. In 2008, the center received a five-year, $4.6 million competitive grant to expand its initiatives related to injury prevention on farms. The project period runs through September 2013.
The projects funded cover a variety of research, education, intervention, prevention, translation and outreach to enhance the health and safety of children exposed to hazards associated with agricultural work and rural environments. The funding allows the Center to provide a wide range of services related to children and adolescents living in rural areas and working in agricultural environments.
The National Children’s Center staff has advanced training in injury prevention, health promotion, agricultural safety and related topics.”
That explains it. They are trying to justify their federal funding and their existence.
Here is their “explanation” of the proposed law changes:
http://www.marshfieldclinic.org/proxy/MCRF-Centers-NCMF-NCCRAHS-ChildLaborFactSheet_Sept_2011.1.pdf
Here is their “explanation” of the proposed law changes:
http://www.marshfieldclinic.org/proxy/MCRF-Centers-NCMF-NCCRAHS-ChildLaborFactSheet_Sept_2011.1.pdf
You beat me to it. You compose faster than I do.
They don’t want kids working on the family farm because 1) they want farming taken over by huge corporations and 2) they want the work done by illegal aliens.
In the third world, maybe, I worked in agri products for over twenty years. I can't recall of ever hearing of a kid killed doing farm work. I saw a teenager lose a finger because he didn't turn off the PTO, before he attempted to fix a chain drive.
They don’t want kids working on the family farm because 1) they want farming taken over by huge corporations and 2) they want the work done by illegal aliens.
And huge corporations are more easily controlled by the unelected bureaucrats in Washington.
You can’t unionize farm kids -
their farm parents don’t want the forced union dues going to Rat’s campaigns, plus unions are for collectivist cowards, are anti-competitive, & stupid.
(hope I’ve explained all issues in one sentence)
Oh, it is legislation NOT passed for the benefit of those legislated upon - but for the increased profitability of major factory farms?
Ok then, they have better lobbyists so they should get the legislation they want./s
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