Labor

As deaths add up, farmers 'walk the grain' unprotected

In July, a 55-year-old man working for Premier Cooperative in Sidney, Ill., suffocated and died after becoming trapped in a grain bin filled with corn. His death marked the first grain-bin fatality for Illinois this year, but with expected large crop yields coming, more farmers may be at risk.

By Robert Holly

/ 4 Nov 2013

As deaths add up, farmers 'walk the grain' unprotected

OSHA aims to prevent 'needless deaths'

The deadliest year for grain-bin workers on record was 2010, when at least 26 workers died throughout the country, according to grain-bin entrapment data from Purdue University. There were more than 50 total incidents that year. The frequency of accidents was so alarming that the Occupational Safety

By Robert Holly

/ 4 Nov 2013

Map: Farm-Related Accidents in Illinois

Each day, more than 200 agriculture workers suffer an injury severe enough to miss work, according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Many farm laborers die because of injuries they received while working. Here's a look at 800 fatalities in Illinois between 1986 and 2012.

By Robert Holly

/ 3 Nov 2013

Why farmers want new equipment

Encouraged by a strong farm economy and healthy business tax breaks, Farmers are buying new machinery and equipment that can run anywhere from $300,000 to $500,000. And some of the new equipment -- powered by GPS and sensors that can even detect moisture in a crop -- practically run on auto-pilot.

By Bill Wheelhouse/Harvest Public Media

/ 27 Sep 2013

Sticker shock: it’s not just on new tractors anymore

Farm equipment sales are booming, currently running about $20 billion annually. Surprisingly, some of the hottest-selling pieces of machinery aren't new. Used-farm equipment is becoming more desirable to some farmers, who don't want to have to run their machines with laptops.

By Bill Wheelhouse/Harvest Public Media

/ 27 Sep 2013

Sticker shock: it’s not just on new tractors anymore

Firefighters learn the ropes of grain-bin rescues

On Sept. 17, 2013, Danville firefighters spent the day training for grain-bin rescues. Dave Newcomb, the agriculture rescue program manager for the Illinois Fire Service Institute, taught the intensive, eight-hour training course. The course included sessions on using grain-bin rescue tubes, sawing

By Robert Holly

/ 25 Sep 2013

Firefighters learn the ropes of grain-bin rescues

Video: Grain-bin rescue training

As harvest season approaches, rescue workers prepare themselves for the possibility of grain-bin entrapments. On Sept. 17, 2013, the Illinois Fire Service Institute and the Danville Fire Department met at a Bunge Milling facility for grain-bin rescue training. Dave Newcomb, agriculture rescue progra

By Darrell Hoemann, Investigate Midwest

/ 24 Sep 2013

New Center for Investigative Reporting project tackles rape, harassment on America's farms

A new report by The Center for Investigative Reporting found that hundreds of female agricultural workers have complained to the federal government about being raped and assaulted, verbally and physically harassed on the job, while law enforcement has done almost nothing to prosecute potential crime

By Investigate Midwest staff

/ 26 Jun 2013

New Center for Investigative Reporting project tackles rape, harassment on America's farms

Federal immigration bill to impact agriculture industry

The immigration bill that the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee took up Thursday includes a provision for farmworkers that shortens their waiting period for legal residency.

By Sean Powers/ Illinois Public Radio

/ 10 May 2013

Federal immigration bill to impact agriculture industry

As deaths add up, farmers 'walk the grain' unprotected

OSHA aims to prevent 'needless deaths'

Map: Farm-Related Accidents in Illinois

Why farmers want new equipment

Sticker shock: it’s not just on new tractors anymore

Firefighters learn the ropes of grain-bin rescues

Video: Grain-bin rescue training

New Center for Investigative Reporting project tackles rape, harassment on America's farms

Federal immigration bill to impact agriculture industry

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