Safety on the Farm was front and centre at the Ottawa Valley Farm Show opening ceremony last Tuesday, March 8. Sheila James, who is known locally as the ‘Farm Safety Lady’ was the main speaker and gave a chilling reminder of the dangers of working around running equipment, working with livestock and of cutting corners.
The spokesperson in Eastern Ontario on the importance of safe practices in agriculture, Ms James introduced three farmers who had been seriously injured in a farm accident.
The first young man introduced stood there in a short sleeve shirt with no arms. The arms were cut off at the shoulders. He lost them in a silo unloader.
I could have interviewed the young man after the opening but I was so sorry for this man and too overcome with emotion. We complain about the cost of hydro, gas, groceries and what not. Here was a young man with no arms. Horrible. Later on I saw him at a food booth. The sight of this man still bothers me.
The other two farmers that Ms. James introduced are still suffering from their injuries. One had a bale of hay come down on him from the front-end loader and the other man suffered a concussion following a fall from a hay wagon a few years ago.
Ms. James said most farm accidents happen between the months of May to November. She reminded farmers to put the shields back on over the power-take-off (PTO) if you’ve taken it off. Tractor rollovers are also a major cause of fatalities.
Canadian Agricultural Safety Week is held annually to raise awareness about farm safety, safe practices, and prevention. This year it takes place March 13 to 19.
The Ottawa Valley Farm Show official opening this year included three components that were introduced for the first time in 2015: show directors were bagpiped to the podium, the Canadian Flag was raised, and we stood, caps in hand, and sang O Canada.
And hats off to the organizers of the Show and to Show manager Tom Van Dusen. This year marked its 89th anniversary. For the past five years the Show has been held at Ottawa’s EY Centre. New this year was free parking for all visitors and exhibitors, as well as free Wi-Fi at the Show. This represented a major expense by the Seed Growers. The admission price remained unchanged at $10. The sold-out, 150,000-square-foot show space had 350 exhibitors, showcasing the latest and greatest in farm machinery, equipment, services and rural life, which attracts 10,000 to 12,000 visitors annually.
There were two monster combines on display inside the building. I was interested in the price thinking that they could cost a million dollars each. The NH combine with a 16 row corn head and a 45 ft grain header is priced around $900,000.
The Claas machine complete with a corn and grain head is in the $850,000 range.
The Show also features the winners of the Ottawa Valley Seed Growers Association Seed Show. This show always interests me as I usually enter in a few hay classes. This year I came first in First Cut Grass Hay and third in First Cut Alfalfa.
