UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Visitors to the Farm Safety Demonstration Area at Penn State's 2016 Ag Progress Days, Aug. 16-18, can learn how to reduce the risk of overturning tractors.
Aimed at both youth and adults, 20-minute tractor safety demonstrations will take place at 10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday, Aug. 16 and 18. Farm accident rescue simulations involving grain bin entrapment — including demonstration of emergency scene stabilization and patient-extrication techniques — will take place at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 17.
Attendees can get information about several types of farm safety programs and agricultural emergency response resources from onsite specialists all three days.
Also on Wednesday, the Farm Safety and Health Quiz Bowl will be held in the Farm Family Learning Center building, located off of Main Street just below the Pasto Museum. 4-H youth compete at 9 a.m. and FFA youth compete at 1 p.m.
"Youth will answer farm safety and health questions in this semifinal quiz bowl event," said Dennis Murphy, Nationwide Insurance Professor of Agricultural Safety and Health. "The winning teams will advance to the state finals in January at the Pennsylvania Farm Show."
Visitors to the Rural Health and Safety Tent, at the end of West 6th Street adjacent to the farm safety area, will be able to take advantage of a variety of health screenings and presentations. Free vision tests will be offered from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and free blood pressure readings will be taken from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Also, free stroke assessments will be conducted from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Also, there will be power takeoff safety demonstrations daily and information available about dental health and assistive technology for farm operations.
One core pesticide credit can be earned by attending a 30-minute presentation about personal protective equipment, which will be conducted by a rural health farm worker protection safety specialist, at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. daily. In addition, visitors to the tent can receive information provided by AgrAbility, Centre HomeCare, New York Center for Agricultural Medicine and Health, Mount Nittany Health, North Central Sight Services, and the Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health.
Sponsored by Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, Ag Progress Days is held at the Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center at Rock Springs, 9 miles southwest of State College on Route 45. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Aug. 16; 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Aug. 17; and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Aug. 18. Admission and parking are free.
For more information, visit the Ag Progress Days website. Twitter users can find and share information about the event by using the hashtag #agprogressdays, and Facebook users can find the event here.