COLEMAN, Wis. — UW-Extension of Marinette and Oconto Counties are sponsoring a Tractor and Machinery Safety Certification course for youth who are interested in working on their family farms or for hire on other farms. There are four days of instruction that will allow students to attend the mandated 24 hours of training.
The scheduled days of instruction are Mondays, July 16 & 23 and Wednesdays, July 18 & 25, with all four days’ schedule being 9 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. If participants need to miss one of the days, a make-up day will be scheduled. All persons MUST attend the July 25 session.
The sessions will be held at the Pound Town Hall, on the east edge of Coleman on Cty. Hwy. B. The training will include emergency response basic training, machinery maintenance, and some in-seat machinery management.
Successful completion of the course and the driving and multiple-choice written tests allows 12 and 13-year olds to work on their families’ (parents and grandparents) farms and operate machinery over public roads between the farm and fields. Successful completion allows 14- and 15-year olds to do the same for their family farms and also for other farms. The course fee is $35 with participants bringing their own lunches.
The course will allow for both skill and knowledge development, with assistance from local emergency response personnel, local farms, equipment retailers, and others. We will be analyzing machinery for safety aspects, learning to conduct on-farm safety assessments, and lots of other activities, along with videos and course material review.
Contact Scott Reuss at the Marinette County UWEX office, 1-877-884-4408, 715-732-7510 or at scott.reuss@ces.uwex.edu to register or if you have any questions. You can also get the registration information and form off their web page at http://marinette.uwex.edu/ Pre-registration is required, by July 13.
Although any persons are welcome to take part in the course, participants must turn 12 by July 25th to take the tests. Farms employing younger persons are particularly encouraged to make sure that anyone not having a driver’s license be certified. The course can be considered a valid safety training program for workers, as well, or a great way to introduce new farm families to the intricacies of farm safety.
UW-Extension provides equal opportunities in programming. If attendees will need any type of accommodation or alternative publication format, please call us prior to the program so that we may prepare accordingly.
— UW-Extension
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