Seward announces funding for life-saving program for farmers
SHERBURNE – State Senator James Seward (R/C/I-Oneonta) paid visit to a Sherburne farm on Tuesday to tout a safety initiative that he says is a life-saving measure for both farmers and New York’s economy.
Marking the start of National Farm Safety and Health Week, Seward announced funding for the ninth round of the New York Rollover Protection System (ROPS) program, a highly successful program that rebates farmers who retrofit an older model tractor with a rollover protection system.
The ROPS program rebates farmers 70 percent of the cost of purchasing and installing a roll bar system up to a max out-of-pocket cost of $500. If the cost to a farmer is greater than $500, then the New York Center for Agricultural Medicine and Health (NYCAMH) will increase the rebate.
“Anything that can be done to help our farmers deal with the financial burdens they face while at the same time improving farm safety has my strong support,” Seward said outside Sunny Slope Farm in Sherburne.
Rollover protection systems are factory installed on tractors built after 1985. Nevertheless, many farmers still rely on tractors that are older that don’t have any standard of protection in the event of a rollover.
Tractor rollovers are the most frequent cause of death on the farm, according to NYCAMH. And while instances of injury or death are certainly devastating to families, it also has an indelible affect on the economy, said Seward. NYCAMH cites that seven out of ten farms go out of business within a year of a tractor rollover.
“Agriculture is New York’s number one industry. It’s vital to our state’s economy and it’s vital to our way of life,” said Seward. “But farming is also a very dangerous occupation. There are a number of risk factors that must be minimized in order to help protect those who produce our food and work our land.”
Seward advocated for a record amount of $250,000 to be included for the ROPS program in the state’s $142 billion 2015-2016 budget – money that he says will help more farmers improve safety across the state.
To date, 1,400 tractors have been retrofitted with rollover protection equipment since the ROPS program was first implemented in 2006. Mark Schmidt, owner of Sunny Slope Farm, operates one of those tractors.
“The life of these tractors can be several decades,” Schmidt said, adding that he couldn’t have shouldered the $2,100 expense of a rollover system for his 1968 John Deere without help of the ROPS program. “By retrofitting them with a rollover structure, it will hopefully make them safer for many more years.”
“It’s allowed us to save many lives,” said Julie Soremsen, Director of NYCAMH. “We hope to continue to help other farmers through the program. I think that with the generous support of New York State and Senator Seward’s assistance, we can improve our farmers’ ability to make their work safer and have some peace of mind.”
Chenango County Farm Bureau President Bradd Vickers praised the ROPS program as “highly successful” in helping to preserve the burdened, yet vital farming industry.
“Farmers are always in competition with weather and getting crops in on time,” said Vickers. “Time factors in too often to get that last load of hay or that last corn chopped, and you take short cuts.”
But the rollover safety program puts some measure of protection in place, he added. “It’s important that we protect (farmers) and continue this industry.”
Farmers interested in more information about the ROPS program should call 1-877-ROPS-R4U (1-877-767-7748) or visit www.ropsr4u.com.
Marking the start of National Farm Safety and Health Week, Seward announced funding for the ninth round of the New York Rollover Protection System (ROPS) program, a highly successful program that rebates farmers who retrofit an older model tractor with a rollover protection system.
The ROPS program rebates farmers 70 percent of the cost of purchasing and installing a roll bar system up to a max out-of-pocket cost of $500. If the cost to a farmer is greater than $500, then the New York Center for Agricultural Medicine and Health (NYCAMH) will increase the rebate.
“Anything that can be done to help our farmers deal with the financial burdens they face while at the same time improving farm safety has my strong support,” Seward said outside Sunny Slope Farm in Sherburne.
Rollover protection systems are factory installed on tractors built after 1985. Nevertheless, many farmers still rely on tractors that are older that don’t have any standard of protection in the event of a rollover.
Tractor rollovers are the most frequent cause of death on the farm, according to NYCAMH. And while instances of injury or death are certainly devastating to families, it also has an indelible affect on the economy, said Seward. NYCAMH cites that seven out of ten farms go out of business within a year of a tractor rollover.
“Agriculture is New York’s number one industry. It’s vital to our state’s economy and it’s vital to our way of life,” said Seward. “But farming is also a very dangerous occupation. There are a number of risk factors that must be minimized in order to help protect those who produce our food and work our land.”
Seward advocated for a record amount of $250,000 to be included for the ROPS program in the state’s $142 billion 2015-2016 budget – money that he says will help more farmers improve safety across the state.
To date, 1,400 tractors have been retrofitted with rollover protection equipment since the ROPS program was first implemented in 2006. Mark Schmidt, owner of Sunny Slope Farm, operates one of those tractors.
“The life of these tractors can be several decades,” Schmidt said, adding that he couldn’t have shouldered the $2,100 expense of a rollover system for his 1968 John Deere without help of the ROPS program. “By retrofitting them with a rollover structure, it will hopefully make them safer for many more years.”
“It’s allowed us to save many lives,” said Julie Soremsen, Director of NYCAMH. “We hope to continue to help other farmers through the program. I think that with the generous support of New York State and Senator Seward’s assistance, we can improve our farmers’ ability to make their work safer and have some peace of mind.”
Chenango County Farm Bureau President Bradd Vickers praised the ROPS program as “highly successful” in helping to preserve the burdened, yet vital farming industry.
“Farmers are always in competition with weather and getting crops in on time,” said Vickers. “Time factors in too often to get that last load of hay or that last corn chopped, and you take short cuts.”
But the rollover safety program puts some measure of protection in place, he added. “It’s important that we protect (farmers) and continue this industry.”
Farmers interested in more information about the ROPS program should call 1-877-ROPS-R4U (1-877-767-7748) or visit www.ropsr4u.com.
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