Friday, October 25, 2013

FFA Observes Farm Safety Week in Greenville

Several hundred thousand dollars worth of tractors rolled into Greenville High School during Farm Safety Week—ten pieces of agricultural equipment in all.  Their investment—to promote safety on the farm, both today and in the future.
The annual TractorCade, which is held to close up National Farm Safety Week, begins a week of safety activities for members of the Greenville FFA Chapter.  “Our purpose is to promote farm safety on and off the farm,” said Greenville FFA Vice President Thomas Shaw . “We are hoping by recognizing this week and promoting safety, we can help to reduce accidents during this busy harvest season.”
National Farm Safety Week is more than showing off tractors to friends and neighbors as members show parade tractors in front of Greenville High School.  It is planting the seed of safety into the minds of the community
 
“This is the FFA’s way of promoting safety in a positive way,” Shaw said. “I enjoy seeing all the tractors, of course, but it really says something when you see this many kids come together and want to promote safety.”
 
Shaw said the need to practice safety, while sharing the roads with farm implements and motorized vehicles, is a year round practice motorists need to remember. “National Farm Safety Week is just that –a week. Safety should be practiced year round though,” he said.
As a promotional feature, students wore T-shirts, which observed the special week and highlighted its meaning.  Students will wear their shirts throughout the year, which will remind individuals of the real meaning of Farm Safety Week—safety for the year.