Georgia Farm Bureau is making farm safety a priority by observing national Agricultural Safety Awareness Week, March 5-11. The purpose of the week is to remind farmers to take precautions against injuries they may sustain while working or enjoying recreational activities on their farms. Baseball Hall of Fame Pitcher Nolan Ryan, who produces cattle on his Texas ranch, is serving as spokesman for the national Farm Bureau program. The 2006 theme for the week is "Step Up to the Plate for Farm Safety."

"Like passing the love of sports from generation to generation, farm safety can be passed from grandparent to parent to child and back again," Ryan said. "Farmers and baseball players must both take intentional steps to prevent injuries to have a truly productive season."

Because farmers spend extended time outdoors under the sun, they are at a high risk for getting skin cancer. The American Cancer Society recommends wearing sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 or higher, sunglasses with 99 to 100 percent UV absorption, and a widebrimmed hat that will cover their ears and neck, rather than a baseball cap.

To protect hearing loss, farmers are encouraged to wear earplugs when working for extended periods of time with equipment or animals that make loud noises.

Farm families and rural residents are encouraged to consider the consequences of allowing extra riders on tractors and all-terrain vehicles (ATV). All too often, children are allowed to sit in the driver's lap or elsewhere on a moving tractor or other farm equipment. Out of the 6,313 deaths caused by ATVs between 1982 and 2003, one-third of the riders who were killed or injured were younger than 16. Anyone driving an ATV should wear a helmet to prevent head injuries in the event of an accident.

"Any number of things can cause an extra rider to be thrown from a vehicle and into its path or into the path of equipment being towed," Ryan said. "There's a reason there is only one seat on tractors and ATVs."

Visit www.gfb.org/safety or www.AgSafetyNow.com to learn more about farm safety issues.

Founded in 1937, Georgia Farm Bureau is the state's largest general farm organization with almost 430,000 member families statewide.