Putting safety first

ALLENTON, Wis. — In January 2024, 27-year-old Curtis Nehm lost his life in a farm accident. The tragedy prompted a grief-stricken community to  create a program focused on the safety of the younger generation. Plans for the program began the day of Nehm’s funeral, following a tractor tribute in his memory.

“We wanted to put something together again,” said dairy farmer Allen Dornacker. “I have two boys, ages 12 and 13, and they did a farm safety camp in Mishicot. If you don’t train kids when they’re young, when are you going to train them? When are you going to sit down as a farmer and do it?”

Dornacker, who milks 350 cows near West Bend, is serving as chairman of the Washington County Farm Bureau Youth Farm Safety Program. Spearheading the program was Ronald Naab. Naab is in his 60th year serving on the Allenton Fire Department and in his 47th year doing agricultural rescues and providing rescue training.

“Many of us in the area were concerned with the lack of tractor and farm safety programs to help our kids be safe on the farmstead,” Naab said.

Within two months, the safety program was launched. Learning a safe attitude with farm equipment, animals and other agricultural hazards is the key takeaway of the program. Youth successfully completing the course receive a state certificate and certification card. Washington County’s program is based on curriculum developed by Purdue University.

The community has come behind the endeavor, offering monetary support and giving their time to make the program a success. Numerous volunteers help with instruction and training, including dairy farmers, paramedics, firefighters, law enforcement, agriculture instructors, mechanics and more.

This year, 32 youth partook in the program run by more than 40 volunteers. For the second year in a row, the class was filled to capacity and had a waiting list. The program is open to youth ages 12-16. Participants must attend three, 8-hour sessions for a total of 24 working hours to become certified. The comprehensive hands-on program was held on three Saturdays in March.

The program kicked off at Marshvue event center and the dairy farm of Justin and Samantha Krueger near Allenton, where stations addressed general farm safety, farm hazards, tractor-powered implements and tractor safety, working with animals, manure storage and feed safety.

“Curtis’ death really hit home for a lot of us,” Samantha Krueger said. “It struck a nerve that maybe we should do something to create awareness. If we can help prevent a tragedy in the future, it’s more than worth it.”

A friend of the Kruegers who was in a baler accident shared his story with the kids.

“He got crushed inside a baler, and it is an act of God that he is around today,” Krueger said. “It was powerful to have someone who survived a tragic accident give a firsthand recap of what happened. It puts it in perspective for kids who think, ‘Nothing is ever going to happen to me.’”

The second Saturday session was hosted at Farmers’ Grain & Feed in Allenton where youth learned about power takeoff hazards, grain bin hazards, tractor components, all-terrain vehicle safety, equipment rules of the road and practical driving experience. A semi-trailer filled with corn was used to demonstrate a grain bin rescue.

“We suck the kids into the corn up to bellybutton height to show them how we have to rescue them,” Naab said. “We impress on them the need of having fall protection devices. If entering a confined space, you should be tied off and secured to something outside the area you’re in.”

Naab recommends the use of a full-body harness with a rope attached. If there is an abrupt movement or drop, the harness locks, preventing the person from falling further.

“My hope is if we impress these things on the kids, they’ll impress it on their parents,” Naab said.

Day three of the program took place at the Allenton Volunteer Fire Department and Farmers’ Implement in Allenton where Nehm used to work. The final session covered fire extinguishers, first-aid and emergency response, and included a written test and practical driving test.

“According to Wisconsin state law, if you’re going to work on a farm, even if it’s a relative’s farm, and you’re between the ages of 12-16, you have to take this type of program,” Naab said. “If you’re going to drive on the road, you need to be certified.”

A point repeatedly driven home is the need to wear a seatbelt.

“You need to wear seatbelts, even in a skidsteer,” Naab said. “If it comes to an abrupt stop because you hit something, like a rise in the concrete, you’re going to go over the drop over bar and hit the crossbar on the head, and you’re going to be dead.”

Naab said the cyclical nature of farming presents dangers year-round.

“As we transition through the seasons, equipment changes, and it’s important to know how to work with different pieces — from discs and plows to choppers and balers,” Naab said. “We also explain the importance of not working on any piece of equipment when it’s operating.”

Kids learn hand signals, allowing them to communicate even around loud equipment. If working with someone who does not speak the same language, hand signs can be used to tell them to lower, raise or stop a piece of equipment.

“A lot of us who are helping put this program on have small children growing up in the farming world and want them to be safe,” Krueger said. “We also have young employees who should be learning these things so we can avoid accidents.”

A community that was hurting has come together to instill safety into the daily routine of those who work in agriculture.

“Unfortunately, it took a tragic accident to get a safety program back in this county,” Naab said. “I’m a strong believer that out of every tragedy, there is always something good that comes from it…In Curtis’ name, we are making a positive difference.”

Washington County also hosted an Agriculture Rescue Technician Training in Allenton March 28-29 sponsored by the Dodge County Firefighter Association and Washington County Fire Training Officers Association. The training, which is for firefighters and emergency medical services personnel, covered agriculture accident scenarios they may be called to respond to.

“The training was to help add (knowledge) tools to their toolbox to help resolve the safest and efficient removal of a patient or a victim for entanglement into an agricultural piece of equipment,” Naab said.

Fifty-four participants and 32 instructors were part of the 2-day event. Stations included disentanglement, skid loader entrapments, ropes and rigging, grain bin rescues, large animal recovery and a working dairy farm tour, including equipment operations.