President Trump has designated September 17 through September 23, 2017 as National Farm Safety and Health Week, highlighting the importance of agriculture and recognizing the physically demanding and potentially dangerous tasks of farmers, ranchers, foresters and their families. President Trump stated “During National Farm Safety and Health Week, we recognize the men and women of our great Nation who work the land, often times at their own risk, to supply the United States and the world with essential products while creating jobs, supporting the economy, and protecting our environment and natural resources for future generations.”
“I join the President in recognizing the hard work of the men and women within our state’s largest industry. Growing up on a farm I recognize that agriculture often requires long hours of labor intensive work and understand the need that safety be paramount in our farming operations,” says Governor Hutchinson.
Agriculture is Arkansas’s largest industry, contributing more than $20 billion to the state’s economy annually and providing for one out of every six job in the state. Arkansas is home to more than 45,000 farms, and the state historically ranks nationally in the top 25 states in the production of 21 agriculture commodities. According to the U. S. Department of Labor, agriculture has the highest fatality rate of any industry sector in America, reporting 570 fatalities in 2015. Among the potentially life threatening agricultural hazards are heavy machinery and equipment, chemicals, grain bins, livestock handling, heat exposure, toxic gases, silos, wells, and others.