Deuel FFA Chapter Named 2015 Champion during Farmers Union Team Up To Safety State Fair Quiz Bowl

September 8, 2015 – By #South Dakota Farmer Union

The Deuel FFA Chapter won the 2015 Farmers Union Team Up for Safety Quiz Bowl Championship held today during the South Dakota State Fair in Huron.

Team members include; Georgialee Quail, Jennifer Mueller, Colin Magedanz and Nick Cook.

As one of four teams who qualified for this championship round during the 2015 FFA Convention held in Brookings this April, Deuel competed against the following qualifying teams: Viborg/Hurley FFA Chapter; the Parker FFA Chapter and the Howard FFA Chapter.

 “The quiz bowl is a fun way for high school students to learn about safety on the farm or ranch,” said Doug Sombke, South Dakota Farmers Union President, of the competition that asks FFA members questions on farm and ranch safety.

  “We hope with the information they’ll learn at the quiz bowl they’ll be prepared if they’re ever faced with an emergency situation or if they’re working with livestock or doing any other potentially dangerous job on the farm,” Sombke said.

 According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 1 million youth, under the age of 20, live on farms in the U.S. Over half of them due to farm-related work. Sombke points out that agriculture is often listed among the most dangerous occupations in America. Because of the large machinery they work with, along with chemical hazards, unpredictable livestock and enclosed spaces like grain bins that hold thousands of pounds of grain, farm workers face many risks.

 The U.S. Department of Labor reported that in 2010 the injury rate for agricultural workers was over 20 percent higher than the rate for all workers. The department reported in 2009 alone that 440 farm workers died from work-related injuries.

 “The risks are real, especially for young people on the farm or ranch,” Sombke said. “Part of Farmers Union’s mission is to educate young people about agriculture, and farm safety is very important part of that.”

---

Last Modified: 09/08/2015 12:23:03 pm MDT