The Minneapolis Star-Tribune has begun an interesting multi-part series on the continuing dangers associated with family farms. While focusing on rural Minnesota farms, the issues are nonetheless equally relevant to Wisconsin farmers and Wisconsin farm employees. The dangers associated with farming are well-known, but among the topics, the article addresses are the fact that while other industries have been making strives to improve workplace safety, family farmers retain much of the decision-making for safety decisions–for good and perhaps for bad.
As the second link below makes clear, the challenges of farm safety are even more concerning when one remembers that most small farms are not required to carry worker’s compensation insurance for employees.
https://www.startribune.com/tragic-harvest-deaths-on-the-rise-on-minnesota-family-farms/327431751/