Convey safe farm practices not just with words, but with visual accuracy. Visual errors can actually negate the verbal message. These errors can cause irate letters to editors, resulting in embarrassing apologies to the public and costly retractions. Even worse, they reinforce unsafe farming practices. One wrong picture can undo a thousand words!

Articles and stories emphasizing actual experiences of how safe work habits have averted tragedy are tried-and-true attention-getters. But be careful what your pictures are portraying while the words are being read or spoken.

The following guidelines give editors, illustrators, cinematographers and photographers a list of positive safety steps to safeguard against communicating wrong farm safety messages. They are not meant to cover all the possibilities; therefore, "When in doubt, ask!" farm safety experts, state Extension specialists, or county Extension educators.

Guidelines for "Safe" Safety Communication

• Tractors should have rollover protection structures (ROPS).
• If slow moving farm equipment is shown being operated on a public road, be sure it has a properly mounted SMV emblem and front and rear lighting that is clean and in working order.
• The vehicle must be operated at a reasonable speed, by an adult wearing a seat belt.

• When showing farm workers with machinery, be sure they are not wearing items that could become entangled in moving machine parts; i.e., jewelry, drawstrings, bandannas or ties, or loose clothing.
• Farm workers using all-terrain vehicles should be depicted wearing helmets, goggles, pants, work boots, gloves and long sleeves.
• Workers handling hay, grain, or silage inside structures should be shown wearing dust masks.
• Show farm workers mixing or applying chemicals in proper clothing and personal protective equipment, according to whether the chemical is in concentrated or diluted form (see chemical label recommendations).

Children handling and feeding newborn or small animals is a sure way to catch the public's attention. But the children being photographed may catch the unwanted attention of adult animals who can be dangerously protective of their offspring.

When writing about children, write of normal activities and chores appropriate to the age(s) of the children. Remember: unusual responsibility may be admirable in advanced youngsters, but consider what is unsafe for the average child.

• Frame photos to exclude any potential safety hazard that is impossible to eliminate physically.
• Try to include visible safety measures around the farm within overall shots; i.e., smoke alarms and fire extinguisher mounted prominently in barns, sheds and other outbuildings.
• Photograph areas free of clutter; show clean, obviously well-maintained machinery and equipment. Dirt, clutter and rust could imply carelessness.
• Locate agricultural businesses in your community that have excellent safety records. Detail their safety programs and provide graphic illustrations of accident/cost reduction ratios.

Contrasting bad images that illustrate what not to do is, of course, an effective means of making a positive point. If you use this method, be sure the "wrong way" message is clearly and frequently stated, followed immediately with a strong verbal or visual image of the right way.

(Reprinted with permission of the USDA-Cooperative State Research Education and Extension Service. USDA-CSREES publication June 1996.)

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December 13, 2001