Sheldon, Iowa — A Farm Safety Day Camp for Sheldon students was held Friday at Sheldon High School.
The students were exposed to numerous stations, each featuring a different potential hazard that can be encountered around the farm. Sheldon Ag Instructor and FFA Advisor Gene Bomgaars says the idea for a Farm Safety Day Camp comes from a memory from his childhood.
Bomgaars says that, while it’s called Farm Safety Day Camp, it’s also appropriate for those kids who live in town.
Stations visited by the group included a Grain Safety Station, PTO/Tractor Safety Station, ATV Safety Station, Animal Safety Station, Display Case Station , Electricity Station, Sun/Lawnmower Safety Station, and a Chemical Safety Station.
Former Sheldon FFA President Frannie Feekes spoke to the youngsters about PTO and Tractor Safety, relaying her own experience of becoming entangled in a PTO. Feekes suffered severe injuries when her hair became entangled in a PTO shaft in May of last year. She told the group about her accident, and the seventeen surgeries she has undergone since then.
Friday’s Farm Safety Day Camp was sponsored by Sanford Sheldon, and organized by Bomgaars’ students. Their teacher tells KIWA that if just one student avoids a hazard because of the camp, it’s all worth it.
Bomgaars has taught Agriculture at Sheldon for 22-years, and has been an Ag teacher for a total of 35-years.
