Luke Byers, Crop Production Agent

Are you a teenager looking for a summer job in agriculture? Then your first stop ought to be signing up for the River Valley Extension District’s Tractor Safety Training course, taking place on Saturday, May 10th at Bruna Implement in Washington. This course offers a pathway for young adults to receive certification to perform tasks as a farm employee that are otherwise unavailable to employees under age 16, such as operating large tractors or other heavy agricultural implements.

The training program will run from 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM and will include activities such as driving a tractor through a closed course, performing gauge and fluid checks, attaching implements, and identifying hazards associated with agricultural jobs. Lunch will be provided for participants. To complete the remaining certification requirements, participants are encouraged to coordinate with prospective farm employers to provide on-the-job training as well. To register, visit https://bit.ly/tractorsafety2025, or contact your local extension agent with the contact information below. Once you sign up, make sure to pick up your training manual at your local extension office. The cost of the manual is $15. We hope you’ll join us for this opportunity to develop your skills in agricultural jobs and earn your certification to be a young adult farm employee.

If you have any questions, please contact River Valley Extension District Agents Luke Byers (Agriculture & Natural Resources) at 785-632-5335 or by email at lsbyers@ksu.edu, or Kaitlyn Nelson (Livestock Production) at 785-325-2121 or by email at khildebrand@ksu.edu.