Jul 02, 2007 - 04:12:04 CDT
John Kidd has been farming since he was in grade school 70 years ago. He's had his share of bumps and bruises along the way - and more.This spring, his legs were crushed when he was pinned by a truck that fell off a hoist at his farm near Bowling Green, Ohio. The accident sidelined him during planting.
"I've had a lot of things happen to me," said Kidd, 82. "I've cut the tip of my nose off when a tire blew."
In an already dangerous occupation, the risks increase for older farm operators, who account for a growing percentage of all farmers.
They can't dodge cattle like they once did, and years of sitting on tractors and combines have left many with damaged hearing. Arthritis and poor eyesight are common.
The ailments hinder their ability to know when trouble is around the corner.
Those 75 and older are twice as likely to die than younger farmers in accidents on the job, according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
Tractor rollovers are the most frequent cause of death among all farmers, studies have shown.
"Older folks hang onto older equipment," said William Field, supervisor of Breaking New Ground, an outreach program for disabled farmers in Indiana. "Those are what seem to be killing people. They're the older machines that don't have rollover protection."
Nearly half of the 185 Indiana farmers killed on the job over the last decade were 60 and older, according to statistics compiled by Purdue University's Agricultural Safety and Health Program.
Some of those accidents involved tractors that were a half-century old.
"If Grandpa's helping out, put him in the safest tractor you have," Field said. "Don't put him on the old tractor he's grown to adore."
More farmers and ranchers - 341 - died in 2005 than in any occupation except truckers and others who drive for a living, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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