The “Telling the Story” site, at www.tellingthestoryproject.org , features firsthand accounts by farmers who have been injured or lost family members to agriculture-related incidents. The site’s debut coincided with National Farm Safety Week, held Sept. 16-22.
Ellen Duysen is coordinator and outreach specialist for the Central States Center for Agricultural Safety and Health at the college and is also one of five team members involved with the new site. She says research indicates farmers are more open to safety messages after reading about a traumatic farm incident.
One of the stories told is that of Leon Sheets, of Ionia, Iowa, who was engulfed in a flash fire at his swine finishing building in 2014, burning 20 percent of his body. He now promotes farm safety.