Beresford, Hoven, Viborg-Hurly and Parker FFA Members Qualify for SD Farmers Union Safety Quiz Bowl Championship

FFA members from Beresford, Hoven, Viborg-Hurly and Parker qualified for the South Dakota Farmers Union (SDFU) Farm Safety Quiz Bowl championships during the 2021 State FFA Convention.

“Farm and ranch work can be dangerous. We host this contest each year to encourage youth to consider safety and understand how to keep themselves and others safe,” explains Doug Sombke, SDFU President.

The 2021 Quiz Bowl championships will be held September 4 during South Dakota Farmers Union Day at the South Dakota State Fair. Beresford FFA member, Blake Jensen plans to put in some time over the summer months studying farm safety and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) manuals. The Beresford FFA team scored the most points during the game show-style quiz bowl.

“I’m looking forward to the competition at the State Fair,” says Jensen, who works on his family’s crop farm and excavation and tiling business.

“Safety is something you need to be thinking about all the time, because when you are working with or around large equipment, you could end up hurt,” Jensen says.

Farm safety is something Jensen and his peers learn about through their agriculture education classes. This school year, he took OSHA training. Bridget Twedt, the Beresford Agriculture Education Teacher and FFA Advisor, says the Farmers Union Quiz Bowl is a fun way for students to put what they learn in the classroom into action.

“It’s nice for students to know it’s not just Mrs. Twedt who thinks this is important information for them to know,” she says. “Understanding the safety side of farming is huge. The sad fact is many lives have been lost or life changing injuries have occurred because safety was not considered.”

FFA members participating in the qualifying teams are Beresford – Joseph Anderson, Alex Quartier, Jackson Hofer and Blake Jensen; Hoven – Jaxson Spindler, Connor Kaup, Kendra Kaiser and Lincoln Stuwe; Viborg-Hurley – Rachel Christenson, Kallie Lee and Ty Van Hull; Parker – Geoff Dunkelberger, Brandt Marsh, Jack Even and Natalie Haase.

The Farm Safety Quiz Bowl is just one of many ways South Dakota Farmers Union works to provide South Dakota youth with farm and ranch safety education. The organization includes farm and ranch safety as part of their summer camp curriculum. And the Farmers Union Farm Safety Trailer provides an interactive learning experience to thousands of youth each year.

To learn more about South Dakota Farmers Union, visit www.sdfu.org.