Mercer County’s Ag Safety Awareness Program is reminding farmers that experience does not eliminate the possibility of a serious or deadly accident.

Mercer County Agriculture and Natural Resources Director Theresa Dirksen discussed the issue during an appearance on WCSM’s Spectrum.

Dirksen said farmers often complete the same jobs hundreds of times, which can make it easy to become comfortable and skip safety precautions.

She shared the personal story of losing her husband in a silo accident.

Dirksen said her husband had always stressed the importance of having a blower running to circulate air inside a silo. However, on the day of the accident, he entered a recently filled silo without the blower operating and was overcome by silage gas.

He did not survive.

Dirksen said the experience is a reminder that serious accidents can happen even to experienced farmers.

She encourages farmers to take the extra time to follow proper safety procedures, including equipment inspections, lockout tagout procedures, proper ventilation and precautions around confined spaces.

The Mercer County Ag Safety Awareness Program is also encouraging motorists to slow down and give farm equipment additional room as harvest season approaches.

The campaign’s motto is “So the young can grow old.”