It's Harvest time in this little town.... My farmer has been in the field for almost a week. Not hitting it too hard because the moisture is still a little high, but we are eating, breathing and sleeping corn and soybeans this time of the year.

It's most definitely my favorite time of the year. The air is crisp (along with the apples) we are planning hayrides and apple butter making festivities with our families and I'm thinking about pumpkin flavored everything..

I am sharing my post from last Spring during planting season. Take a look - have a Happy and safe Harvest Season.

It's early on a Saturday morning, I am sipping (okay - maybe chugging coffee) staring out the window at a tractor and planter sitting in the field next to our home. With the sunshine and warmer ground temperatures, most people in the area have already started planting - and my farmer is among them. He just headed out the door, a belly full of pancakes, smiling from ear to ear (this is his favorite time of the year) and I tell him what I always tell him..... "Be careful"....

Every farm has a story and ours is no different. My farmer grew up in a tractor, sitting on the floor starring out the window. Listening to stories, taking bumpy naps, getting tips from his grandfather. I am certain that some of the things that make him a great farmer today are those things that he learned in the tractor back then.

I love that this is our life. I can't wait for the day when our kids ride in the tractors and combines with their dad and grandpa. I understand that it's part of raising your children on the farm, but you can't ignore the fact that nearly 300 children (under the age of 21) die each year from a farm related injury.

I can go on about farming being the most dangerous job. I can give you statistic after statistic of things that I have researched, and tell you that the national average for farm related deaths is 22.1 to every 100,000 people. Someday our children will want to ride in the tractor with their dad or their grandpa. I can't wait for that, and I have pictured that in my head for a very long time. But still, we must not forget that just because it is done all of the time does not mean that it's not still dangerous. Most of the time it's the repetitive things that you do without even thinking that are the most dangerous.

See below for some tractor safety rules that i got from Nationwide Agri Insurance to remember and think about during this planting season.

Follow These Tips to Help Prevent Tractor Accidents

Farm tractors are a primary tool for most farms. But studies show tractors are also involved in a high proportion of farm injuries and fatalities. Most accidents can be prevented by following basic tractor safety guidelines.

Five major areas cause most farm tractor accidents: rollovers, run overs, road accidents, blind spots and entanglements. Here are tips to prevent each. But the best idea is to develop a "safety first" attitude on your farm. Follow safe work practices at all times and set a good example for others.

Rollovers

Be sure your tractor is equipped with a ROPS (rollover protective structure) and a seat belt. Always wear your seat belt, back up steep slopes, check for uneven ground or large obstacles, avoid wet or muddy fields and drive tractors slowly.

Run overs

Always turn the engine off when you're not in the driver's seat. And be careful allowing extra riders – It can be distracting and unsafe.

Road accidents

Tractors should not be operated on the highways without flashing lights and reflective slow moving vehicle (SMV) emblems displayed on the rear of any machinery, even if being towed. Stay aware of any traffic around you, and stay as far over to the right of the road as practical.

Blind spots

Never allow children to play or hide around tractors or other equipment. Walk completely around tractors and other equipment before getting on to ensure you're aware of anything in your path.

Entanglements

Be sure your PTO (power take-off) shield is in place or replace it. Always walk around an operating PTO, not over it. Do not wear loose fitting clothing or allow loose, long hair around machinery with moving parts. Disengage power and turn the engine off before trying to manually clear a clogged machine.

To be honest, I have struggled with writing this post. It's now the following Saturday afternoon and I am sitting here (chugging coffee again) trying too find a way to finish it. I have thought about it for a while now, thinking of the exact message that I want to get across to you. I am done with the statistics and facts. They are scary and no one really wants to think about them. Kiss your people every day.... Always tell them how much you love them.

My grandpa was killed in a tractor accident 5 1/2 years ago, so that's why it has taken me so long to write this.

I might always be that wife that tells her farmer to be careful when he heads to the field, or that mother that worries until my farm kids are tucked safely in bed at night (and probably even then too.)

I hope you all have a safe, happy and successful planting season.