Register Soon for Tractor Safety

Advance registration is due by June 11 for a tractor safety course at Gering for 14- and 15-year-old youths who work on farms. The class is scheduled for June 18-19 at Legacy of the Plains Museum.

The course, provided by the Central States Center for Agricultural Safety and Health in the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Public Health, provides training on tractor and all-terrain vehicles safety with a variety of hands-on activities.

The Nebraska Extension Tractor Safety & Hazardous Occupations Course is for 14- and 15-year-olds who work on farms. Those under age 14 are not eligible to take the course. Federal law prohibits children under 16 years of age from using certain equipment on a farm unless their parents or legal guardians own the farm. However, certification received through the course grants an exemption to the law allowing 14- and 15-year-olds to drive a tractor and to do field work with certain mechanized equipment.

Cost of the course is $60 and includes educational materials and instruction, supplies and lunch. To register, contact Scotts Bluff County Extension office at 308-632-1480.

The first day of class will cover the required elements of the National Safe Tractor and Machinery Operation Program, hands-on participation, concluding with a written test, which students must pass to attend the second day of training.

The second day of training will include a driving test and equipment operation and ATV safety lessons. Classes begin at 8 a.m. both days.