Sustainable farming is a way of farming that ensures it will be both more productive and efficient and in such a way that will shape the countryside as a high-quality place to both work and live.
There are three pillars to sustainable farming; environmental, social and economic.
As the farming calendar heads into springtime, one of the busiest times of the year for some farmers, the importance of social sustainability very much comes to the fore.
Farm safety has an integral role to play in the sustainability of the family farm and as calving and slurry spreading gets under way on many farms, it is important to have safety measures in place.
Farm safety needs to continue to be a priority on farms, as spring is often a hectic time on farms across the country.
However, there are things farmers need to keep in mind to ensure a safe spring:
A good sleep
is essential
Farmers often find themselves in a position where they’re working around the clock, often getting up during the night to check cows calving or ewes lambing.
Tiredness and exhaustion do not go hand in hand with farm safety, and tiredness will often lead to poor decisions being made around farm safety and farmers taking shortcuts. Therefore, it is essential that farmers take the time to rest.
If possible, work should be divided between family members or extra help should be hired to spread the workload. Installing a calving camera is another way to help save time and labour during the spring.
Be mindful of
children on
the farm
During the busy time, farmers should take extra care with younger members of the family helping out or even just looking at new arrivals on the farm.
It is important that children are supervised if close to animals or kept out of work areas or within a safe area, so that they are not in any danger of being hurt by machinery or animals.
It is also very important that any children on the farm are only exposed to jobs that are appropriate for their age.
Farmers should make sure that all equipment is maintained properly and left where it is needed.
For example, the calving jack should be left by calving pens and in such a way that no one can trip over it in a rush. This way, unnecessary injuries can be avoided.
The calving jack should be left by calving pens in such a way that no one can trip over it in a rush. \ Philip Doyle
Farmers are also starting to put out slurry so checking that both slurry tankers and agitators have PTO guards is important. This is because a high proportion of PTO entanglements occur when slurry tankers are in use.
Slurry produces a wide range of gases based on the fermentation which occurs.
To stay safe during slurry spreading, farmers should pick a windy day when there is a lot of air movement and stay away from the agitation point for the first 30 minutes after agitation commences.
Slurry tank.
Poisoning cam occur either outdoors or indoors in calm conditions. With sheds, it is important that all doors and vents are opened and that there is adequate air movement.
Attacks by cattle account for 68% of fatalities on farms caused by livestock. In spring, farmers need to be extra careful to avoid attacks by freshly calved cows.
The addition of a calving gate is a good investment to increase safety on farm.
Children should be supervised if close to animals \ Donal O’Leary
Good facilities not only allow for the expansion of production but also reduce workload, and in this case make the farm a safer place to work.
Sustainable farming is a way of farming that ensures it will be both more productive and efficient and in such a way that will shape the countryside as a high-quality place to both work and live.
There are three pillars to sustainable farming; environmental, social and economic.
As the farming calendar heads into springtime, one of the busiest times of the year for some farmers, the importance of social sustainability very much comes to the fore.
Farm safety has an integral role to play in the sustainability of the family farm and as calving and slurry spreading gets under way on many farms, it is important to have safety measures in place.
Farm safety needs to continue to be a priority on farms, as spring is often a hectic time on farms across the country.
However, there are things farmers need to keep in mind to ensure a safe spring:
A good sleep
is essential
Farmers often find themselves in a position where they’re working around the clock, often getting up during the night to check cows calving or ewes lambing.
Tiredness and exhaustion do not go hand in hand with farm safety, and tiredness will often lead to poor decisions being made around farm safety and farmers taking shortcuts. Therefore, it is essential that farmers take the time to rest.
If possible, work should be divided between family members or extra help should be hired to spread the workload. Installing a calving camera is another way to help save time and labour during the spring.
Be mindful of
children on
the farm
During the busy time, farmers should take extra care with younger members of the family helping out or even just looking at new arrivals on the farm.
It is important that children are supervised if close to animals or kept out of work areas or within a safe area, so that they are not in any danger of being hurt by machinery or animals.
It is also very important that any children on the farm are only exposed to jobs that are appropriate for their age.
Farmers should make sure that all equipment is maintained properly and left where it is needed.
For example, the calving jack should be left by calving pens and in such a way that no one can trip over it in a rush. This way, unnecessary injuries can be avoided.
The calving jack should be left by calving pens in such a way that no one can trip over it in a rush. \ Philip Doyle
Farmers are also starting to put out slurry so checking that both slurry tankers and agitators have PTO guards is important. This is because a high proportion of PTO entanglements occur when slurry tankers are in use.
Slurry produces a wide range of gases based on the fermentation which occurs.
To stay safe during slurry spreading, farmers should pick a windy day when there is a lot of air movement and stay away from the agitation point for the first 30 minutes after agitation commences.
Slurry tank.
Poisoning cam occur either outdoors or indoors in calm conditions. With sheds, it is important that all doors and vents are opened and that there is adequate air movement.
Attacks by cattle account for 68% of fatalities on farms caused by livestock. In spring, farmers need to be extra careful to avoid attacks by freshly calved cows.
The addition of a calving gate is a good investment to increase safety on farm.
Children should be supervised if close to animals \ Donal O’Leary
Good facilities not only allow for the expansion of production but also reduce workload, and in this case make the farm a safer place to work.
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