To kick off 2025, our Community Action Groups discussed farm safety, and more specifically on-farm Emergency Action Plans. It appears this sparked some great conversation in the countryside, even without considering the questions presented.
Lenawee County’s Seeders and Weeders CAG thoughts were too good not to spotlight:
Our group felt the four questions were too specific for the discussion, as not all farms and operations are alike. Depending on your operation’s primary income source, would dictate what your emergency plan might look like and how it might be carried out. Crop farms’ safety issues would be different than a farm with livestock. Aging operators might focus on areas specific to the house and farm buildings.
The most important emphasis should be raising everyone’s awareness that safety is important on every operation. A point was made to try holding regular conversations with all your workers about upcoming busy seasons (spring planting, fall harvest, etc.)
Then our members shared some of their personal safety insights:
- Make sure all cell phones have current emergency contact numbers.
- Review how to direct first responders to an emergency scene.
- Regularly check pressure in dry powder fire extinguishers. Tip dry powder end for end, annually, to loosen dry chemicals.
- Practice entrapment rescue in grain bins.
- Bin safety when entering grain bins.
- Be aware of young people when moving equipment in the field and near bins.
- Be aware of pinch points when servicing equipment.
- Check with local fire departments to determine what information they’d need in an emergency at your farm. Develop a pre-check for your farm.
- Be aware of time-sensitive governmental reporting (MIOSHA) that must be completed in the event of an on-farm fatality.
- Remove trip hazards (cords, rugs, etc.) inside the house.
- Develop an action plan for how first responders will get into your home.
- Purchase a fire blanket to put out stove fires.
Clinton County’s Maple River Rowdies shared that “Talk flowed freely and they will suggest a possible farm-safety demonstration event, hosted by the county.”
Here’s what other groups shared:
What are some unique challenges farms face when creating an Emergency Action Plan, and how can we tailor our plans to address these challenges?
People are often spread out on farms, so communication is a challenge. The amount of safety hazards involved in ag makes planning hard — hard to predict everything that could go wrong. Assess the situation before panicking. There are so many things that can go wrong that it’s hard to plan. (The Cornstalks; ProFILE)
Challenges in creating an Emergency Action Plan include the size of the farm, number of employees, language barriers with seasonal workers, buildings with hazardous materials, and animal confinement operations. Planning ahead is key. (Kirk’s Farm Bureau Group; Livingston County)
Coming up with a plan for something quite rare is difficult: How do you know what to expect? Hire consultants and risk-management specialists to advise you on nuances and rare risks (The CDC; ProFILE)
We would like a guideline or flowchart to help us create an emergency action plan. Every farm is unique in size, location and on-site materials. Is there a discount on Farm Bureau insurance for MAEAP verification? (AgVentures; Saginaw County)
The biggest challenge is that there are so many different types of on-farm emergencies that training people to handle any one of them is quite a task in itself. (Cass River Crew; Saginaw County)
Farming today is so diverse. It depends on the type of farm. The same guidelines do not fit all farms. (Happy Harvesters; Macomb County)
How can we ensure that all workers, including those in remote areas of the farm, are effectively alerted in the event of an emergency?
Having a chain of communication (text and/or calls) among all employees. Having a group text is a good idea. (The Cornstalks; ProFILE)
Farm workers could be alerted by group text, farm bell, car horn... Know where your workers are with cell phone mapping and/or a designated board where employees are that day. (Kirk’s Farm Bureau Group; Livingston County)
Check-in system, group text, radios, emergency on-farm signal with different modes for different types of emergencies. Have everyone use a GPS device to ID where they are. (The CDC; ProFILE)
All workers need a clear understanding of how the communication will alert them. (AgVentures; Saginaw County)
Our group is confident that all employees have cell phones and keeps them close anytime they’re on the farm. (Cass River Crew; Saginaw County)
Phone, bells, sirens. (Happy Harvesters; Macomb County)
What steps can we take to improve the safety and evacuation of animals during an emergency, and how can we train workers and first responders to manage this effectively?
Everyone should know their role in the case of emergencies. Make a plan and practice it. (The Cornstalks; ProFILE)
Workers should practice animal-evacuation drills. Local first responders should have a list of people with animal knowledge and experience they can call to assist in animal emergencies. MSU extension has E-RAIL (Emergency Response to Accidents Involving Livestock). (Kirk’s Farm Bureau Group; Livingston County)
For fire risks, get an electrical wiring assessment done to find hot spots. Have fire extinguishers and first aid kits in all equipment and multiple locations throughout buildings. Need to have an animal mortality management plan and talk with employees about where the line is to not risk human life to save animals. What do you do when you need to euthanize many animals in a collapsed building? Need to have the talk about euthanasia fatigue and mental health resources. (The CDC; ProFILE)
Only experienced people should attempt to move farm animals with the assistance of gates and doors. First responders could train at a large farm with animals to get familiar with animal characteristics. (AgVentures; Saginaw County)
We need to talk about possible issues and problems that could come up with animal agriculture with anyone who may be in a position to handle a problem. Relying on emergency responders to know how or where to chase animals in an emergency is not a good idea. Remember first responders won’t have experience handling animals. (Cass River Crew; Saginaw County)
It depends on what type of emergency it is. If it’s a fire, the safety of humans comes first, so an evacuation plan is necessary. How far along a fire is determines whether you can save animals or not. Gas leaks mean you need gas masks to enter a facility. As far as we know, our county doesn’t have first responders who relate to farming. (Happy Harvesters; Macomb County)
Do you incorporate regular emergency drills? If so, how can you facilitate these without disrupting daily tasks, and how can we ensure that all works participate?
We have a safety team that facilitates drills for fire, earthquakes and intruders. We get a message over speakers and texts if you signed up to receive them. Riley and Andrew said no; it’s something that needs work. (The Cornstalks; ProFILE)
We have no incorporated regular emergency drills. Now that this article caught our attention, we have discussed emergency responses. (Kirk’s Farm Bureau Group; Livingston County)
No, emergency drills are not regularly held. A way for everyone to be involved is for coordinating traceability and recordkeeping during an incident, helping load or segregate animals based on status. (The CDC; ProFILE)
No. We have family farms with few hired hands. All have knowledge of what’s needed. (AgVentures; Saginaw County)
Nobody in our group has gone through an on-farm emergency drill. Everyone appreciated that Farm Bureau brought up the topic; they will now start giving it thought and put something together. (Cass River Crew; Saginaw County)
We're a family farm; our emergency drills are actually telling our children and grandchildren continually what to do and what not to do. (Happy Harvesters; Macomb County)
Share Story
Article Tags
