By Ryan Duey

This summer, thousands of Kansas teenagers will begin their first job working for a farmer or rancher. For those that are aged 14 or 15, they must complete a tractor safety course to be legally employed. A thirteen-year-old may enroll in the training if turning 14 before the next year’s class is offered, but the certificate will not be issued until their fourteenth birthday.

To help prepare some of those youth for the upcoming work season, several K-State Research and Extension Districts are collaborating and will be hosting four in-person tractor safety classes. The River Valley Extension District will host their training on April 27th in Washington at Bruna Implement. The day will start at 8:00 am with attendees arriving and the welcome will begin at 8:15 am. A meal will be provided for lunch and the day will conclude at 4:30 pm. If you cannot attend April 27th there are three other training courses for April 20 (Beloit), May 4 (Great Bend), and May 23 (Salina).

This course will meet the requirements of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Hazardous Occupations Order for Agriculture (HOOA). The HOOA regulations state that youth 14 and 15 years of age, who wish to work as a hired employee for someone other than a parent or legal guardian and operate a farm tractor that is 20 HP or greater, must successfully pass a tractor safety training program

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Those wanting to enroll simply go online at https://bit.ly/2024-tractor-safety and complete the registration at least 5 days before the scheduled course. The book for the course is available at your local Extension District office and will need to be purchased before the first class as participants are encouraged to go through the “safety activity sheets” at the end of each chapter before Saturday’s session.