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How Safe Is Your Farm?

KEEP OUT signage. Since most choose and cut farms are regarded as agri-tourism we are to be in compli- ance with the Agri-tourism Law that many states have including North Carolina and Virginia. The year we got our signs in NC the wording to me was offensive but still it had to be displayed for all the customers to read. The wording needs to be amended so as not to offend the cus- tomer. Physical features that needs addressing would include the following: The Field Since the last planting season no one but the farm owner and perhaps workers has worked the trees to pre- pare for the next selling season. What remains to be seen is obvious. Stumps. They are everywhere unless the owner has an implement to re- move them from the field. They are hazards since anyone can trip and fall when not seen, especially hard on the mower to. Holes created by burrow- ing animals like ground hogs needs scouting for and remove the animal if possible. Holes can also be created by moles and voles where the tunnel- ing is noticeable. Rocks of any size can be a hazard. (Rock removal should have been done during field preparation. In my part of NC stumps are my biggest issue and another pest I have to deal with is fire ants. Fortu- nately, those of you in Virginia are not affected by these nasty pests that attacks by the thousands when dis- turbed. Stumps are their favorite home to build a mound since it at- tracts warmth. Thankfully, by the selling season fire ants are down in the ground protecting themselves against the cold.

Unmown fields can harbor hazards not seen until work is performed to the field.

By Tommy Naylor Those of us who have farming Christmas trees for years know all too well the hazards that exists on our farms. We are not aware of these hazards until an obstacle faces us that has to be taken care of immediately. This is very true of those of us who are choose and cut growers. In an- other life when I worked in corpo- rate, safety was stressed over and over due to the hazardous nature of the manufacturing facility. Numerous times plant evacuations occurred due to chemical spills and breathing sinus burning gases. At this point I took safety issues seriously. Common sense and wisdom should be the components of life as we age and practicing safety precautions is a ne- cessity. Now that we are nearing the end of another summer, attention needs to be given to those areas that may har- bor dangers. The shearing and trim- ming is done and all that remains is mowing until the first good freeze. Uncovering grasses and weeds can reveal unpleasant hazards such as

stumps, holes and exposed rocks or maybe washouts we didn’t know ex- isted created by summer storms. When we open our farms to visitors, these hazards have to be taken care of before the visitor is accidentally hurt and it could result in a lawsuit. It is the responsibility of the farm own- er to correct the known and unknown problems before the first tree cus- tomer enters the field. We have to ensure the safety of the customers of their duration on the farm. There are a lot of issues we must cover our- selves to prevent accidents from oc- curring. Proper Signage Most visitors or customers may ig- nore instructions or signage to off limit areas where they should not be to start with. However, over the years if proper signage is clear to the cus- tomer and some may ignore it, then the property owner would be protect- ed under law. This may not be true so much in today’s horribly political correct world. Most farms do have areas that are unsafe to be in and should be roped off with POSTED,

VCTGA News Journal ‒ Fall 2018 Page 12

VCTGA News Journal – Fall 2018

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