Being a kid is tough enough without increased risk for farm accidents. Enforced rules and common sense can prevent tragedy.

J.T. Denbigh crouched next to a murky puddle. "This is where

I usually catch frogs," he explained. He pointed to a group of what he called "baby frogs," struggling to remember the word "tadpole." Then, in another moment he was back pedaling his dirt bike.

Like most farm kids, J.T., age 9, has endless energy and a natural sense of adventure. But if not monitored closely, those healthy traits can turn dangerous for a child. Each year, more than 100 children are killed and 33,000 injured on farms in the United States. Sept. 19 to 24 marks National Farm Safety and Health Week, when organizations and individuals throughout the country promote safety on American farms.

The National Safety Council organizes the annual week each September, started by the first proclamation signed in 1944 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

However, farm safety is more than a national concern. Midwest farm families struggle daily with issues of children working and playing on the farm.

J.T.'s dad, John Denbigh, manages the University of Missouri's J.C. Penney Dairy Farm near Columbia. Although his children, ages 9, 15 and 16, are not allowed to work on the farm, they do sometimes visit him at work or run family errands on the farm. Denbigh takes a daily safety approach, constantly reminding them to be aware of farm dangers. The children are only allowed on the farm when John is present. Although his children are responsible, he knows their limitations, noting that "kids' memories are very short."

The problem

Parents and other adults often overestimate what kids can do on the farm. This can lead to unimaginable tragedies. Karen Funkenbusch, a rural safety and health specialist with the University of Missouri, helps promote positive safety choices on the farm.

She explained that farms can seem like giant playgrounds to youngsters, with special places to be explored. "The painful reality is that kids are injured while playing in work areas or while watching someone else work," said Funkenbusch.

Compiling farm accidents must be cringe-filled employment, but the statistician's effort can help by way of warning us to be more cautious. Compiled statistics show that children have been injured or killed in accidents such as: being backed over by trucks, tractors or implements; falling off of ladders, hay mows, or through floors; or becoming tangled in augers, power take-offs, or gutter cleaners. Then there is falling into manure pits, lagoons, wells, stock tanks and ponds. Even the seemingly innocuous can be a danger.

Often, children begin working on the farm due to necessity. Parents need "extra hands" to get work done, and children are often willing, said Funkenbusch. However, keeping the farm running might not be worth the sacrifice.

"Unintentional injuries can occur when adults and children mistake physical size and age for ability," she explained. Children, who are unable to reason the way grownups do, often underestimate risks that adults can more easily identify.

What we can do

In addition to raising his kids on a farm, Denbigh also works with teenagers, age 16 and over, who are employed part-time on the farm. Regular meetings that include safety and other concerns on the farm remind employees of risks.

Denbigh explained that simply using words to teach kids might not always do the trick.

"Kids are naïve," he said. "They don't appreciate hazards without actually seeing what can happen." Denbigh recommends that parents remind children and teens of family members or friends who have had accidents on the farm-which brings the danger closer to home.

Funkenbusch also stressed that talking with children is key to reducing risk. Areas to cover for common on-farm injuries include animal behavior, the weight and force of grain, harmful gases released by manure and silage, electricity, chemicals and pesticides, and riding and playing on equipment.

Funkenbusch pointed out that it's the adult's job to keep children safe on the farm, not the child's.

"Parents and grandparents should use safety measures to prevent accidents. They can set and enforce safe limits and be good role models for children by promoting safety."

While safety rules and tips may seem obvious, all too often they're overlooked on farms.

"There are children riding on tractors or driving tractors at too young an age," said Funkenbusch. "Kids can be seen riding on the back of trucks, driving adult-sized ATVs at high speeds, riding on the top loads of hay, grain or other [crops]."

She added that children are often left without an adult around livestock, horses, and banks of ponds or streams. Some children even play or work with power tools that they are not mentally or physically able to handle.

Funkenbusch offered tips to help keep your family and other children safe on the farm: