Safety on the Farm comes first!

The past few weeks around our house have been busy ones. We are halfway through the summer, swim lessons have come to an end, the county fair has come and gone and we've still got a month left before school starts.

With a bit more "free time" on our hands, the first place the boys want to go is... "To da Dairy!" There is all kinds of Fun stuff to do on our farm... there are the calves, the cottonseed pile, the Gator, the loaders... the list goes on and on.

Then again, there couldn't be a more Dangerous place to spend our time... there is the cottonseed pile, the Gator, the loaders... the list goes on and on.

It was a challenge to help our oldest understand that while he may have a stack of tractor toys at home, the tractors on the farm are far from toys. They are dangerous and we need to be careful at all times. We even went so far as to Google child related tractor accidents, and for the next year, the photo of a 3-year-old girl, killed in a tractor accident, hung on our refridgerator.

Clayton, who was 3 at the time, introduced her to everyone who visited and explained what happened to her. It pulled at my heart strings to hear him tell the story over and over again, of a little girl we had never met, who "went to the angels" because her daddy dropped her from the tractor. Thanks to that little angel, he finally understood what we were talking about. 

According to the Progressive Agriculture Foundation, each year an estimated 15,000 children who visit, live or work on farms or ranches are injured and more than 100 children die of agriculture-related injuries in the U.S. alone.

These statistics are much too high, especially when these types of incidents can be prevented! The folks at Kubota are dedicated to helping families make sure summer memories are as safe and happy as possible. To help raise Safety awareness, Kubota has launched a Family Safety Coloring Contest for a chance to win fun prizes! 

Now is the time to get your family involved, and here's how...

1. Now through October 1, 2012, download Kubota's "Ten Commandments of Tractor Safety" coloring book

2. Each child, 12 and under, can select one page to color as his/her contest entry

3. Scan and e-mail the child's entry, along with the parent's name, child's name, age, address and phone number to KubotaSafety@fleishman.com

-or -

Mail the entry, with the same information on a 3"x5" card, to 500 Capitol Mall, Suite 1850, Sacramento, CA 95814

Entries will be judged on coloring skill in each of three age groups: 5 and under, ages 6 to 8, and ages 9 to 12. In each category, one grand prize winner will be selected to win a $100 gift card and Kubota merchandise gift pack. Additionally, one first prize winner in each category will receive a Kubota merchandise gift pack.

The first 100 entries will receive a Kubota "Safety First Sheriff" badge.

For more information, download the Official Contest Rules.

Check out this great activity, and remember Safety always comes First!