Agriculture is safer by 100 farmers after a daylong Farm Safety Day held Wednesday at SUNY Cobleskill.
In addition to workshops on everything from woodlot safety to safe animal handling, there were displays on health ag-related and health services and free health screenings.
The Northeast Center for Agriculture Medicine and Health in Cooperstown provided a free lunch and had personal protective equipment for sale; event sponsor was the Schoharie County Farm Bureau, assisted by SUNY Cobleskill.
Those attending included groups of students from Cobleskill-Richmondville, Berne-Knox-Westerlo, and Worcester; SCFB's Linda Cross, who, with Jim Saddlemire, organized the day, said she was especially pleased to see that.
"It's great to see so much interest from our young people, and really, so much interest from them in farming," she said.
Ms. Cross said they've been asked to offer similar training for younger students as well as for EMTs looking to become FarmMedics.
SUNY Cobleskill President Marion Terenzio and State Agriculture Commissioner Richard Ball welcomed the crowd.
Dr. Terenzio noted both SUNY Cobleskill and Farm Bureau share a birthday-both are 100 years old this year-and their vision and mission complement each other.
Schoharie County's first Farm Bureau agent, Ray Pollard, and Dr. Knapp, the director of the then-New York State School of Agriculture, even toured together, Dr. Terenzio said, visiting Grange meetings, church suppers, and other events to talk about their common goals.
That continues today, she said, as the college works to lead the county in an economic revitalization.
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Commissioner Ball, a lifelong farmer who also owns and operates Schoharie Valley Farm and the Carrot Barn, spoke personally about his own close calls and farm fatalities that he's witnessed.
"I think everyone I know has had a close call-or worse," he said.
"We work long hours, with big animals...now add technology to that. It's so important to understand farm safety. After today, all of you will be able to go back to your farms with those glasses on and see the risks involved. We can't be too careful."