Harvest time can be dangerous for farmers

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Long hours, heavy equipment and pressure to finish work before the weather changes are among the risks farmers face during harvest.

A recent analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data found that 175 farmers, ranchers and agricultural managers died in workplace incidents nationwide in 2024, a fatal injury rate of 19.4 per 100,000 workers. The analysis also counted 147 deaths among miscellaneous agricultural workers, a rate of 19 per 100,000. Transportation incidents were the leading cause of death for both groups.

Shawn Schukar, farmer and president of Ameren Transmission Company of Illinois, told ABC 17 News that exhaustion is one of the biggest safety risks during harvest. Farmers may rush to finish a field before a storm arrives, he said, while dust can reduce visibility around equipment.

“Farmers are spending an enormous amount of time out in the field, quite often rushing because of weather and things like that,” Schukar said. “And really, just remind everybody to take the time to be safe, because it only takes that one second for something bad to happen.”

Schukar advised farmers to shut down equipment before working near rotating parts and to pay attention to power lines when moving large machinery. Missouri’s Show-Me Farm Safety program recommends checking that the area around a tractor is clear before moving it. Its electrical safety guidance also tells farmers to watch for overhead lines and request utility line markings before digging.

In Boone County last Thursday, a man suffered serious injuries in a tractor incident south of Harrisburg. A deputy at the scene told an ABC 17 News photographer the man had been run over. An ambulance took him to University Hospital. How the incident happened and the man’s current condition remain unclear.