Agricultural safety became the main topic of discussion at Garden City schools Wednesday as students learned different ways to avoid unfortunate or tragic accidents on the farm or ranch.

The project, in its first year in Garden City, was devised by Texas AgriLife Extension Service's Youth Board of Glasscock County, said Charlene Belew, county extension agent.

It's purpose, she said, was simple.

“So many of our kids here live on a farm or a ranch and in the summertime, many of them work on the farm, so in one aspect or another, they are involved in agriculture,” Belew said. “We want to let them know about the hazards out there and help them to watch out for those hazards. It's really an accident prevention program.”

A wide variety of subjects were covered during the day-long program, ranging from the proper way to handle equipment to fire safety to which snakes its best to avoid on the farm.

Belew said several agencies and individuals helped in the presentation, including the Texas Department of Transportation, which took students through a “rollover simulator” which duplicated what could happen in a vehicle accident, a fire safety demonstration from the Midland Fire Department and a lecture on snake safety from “Bayou Bob” Poppell, a veteran snake handler.

The keynote speaker during the program was Garden City native Kallie York, who was severely injured when a grain bin fell on her several years ago and is now confined to a wheelchair. Belew said York's address served as both an object lesson on farm safety and to show how one can overcome a tragic accident to lead a normal life.

With many Garden City students facing a career in agriculture, it is never too early to preach the benefits of safety, Belew said.

“Statistics show that 22,000 youth are injured on a farm or ranch every year — and that's just the injuries that are reported,” Belew said. “If we can help those numbers go down, even by one, that will make (the program) successful.”