LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Of all the exhibits during the National Farm Machinery Show, there is one that is always popular and should be of particular importance to farmers: The Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s (KDA) Safety Exhibit.

Dale Dobson, KDA’s Farm and Home Safety Program administrator, has spent most of his life coming to the NFMS and much of his professional life bringing safety messages to the millions of people who have attended over the years. This year he is going to try something a little different – one of the things he will emphasize is lawnmower safety.

“I’ve been bringing the rollover tractor display for years. But this year I’m going to have a John Deere Gator with a medical bed that we use in rescues, focusing on the seatbelts and the roll bar, and I’m going to have two lawnmowers with the focus on roll bars and seatbelts on those,” he said. “I want to stick with my seatbelt message because it’s a strong one.”

Anyone who has heard Dobson speak about farm safety is familiar with the passion he brings to his discussions. He delivers that same enthusiasm to the NFMS each year.

“We’re also going to cut the ribbon on a brand new project we just picked up in Nebraska, an anhydrous ammonia safety trailer that was custom built for us to teach with,” he said.

Regarding mower safety, Dobson said the machines have gotten bigger and faster over the years. “Nowadays we’ve got riding mowers that will outrun a Bush Hog,” he pointed out.

One thing that is a positive of bringing a safety message to the general public is over the years, he said, fatality numbers have decreased. According to statistical information provided by KDA, the number of Kentucky agricultural related deaths has dropped from 50 in 1995 to 14 in 2013. These numbers also include the logging industry.

Much of that success has come through safety awareness programs like the ones demonstrated by Dobson. “The farm safety program has been overwhelmed by that success and the number of requests we get is just off the wall.”

Those safety demonstrations have obviously worked; he also spends much of his time devoted to farm rescue work. He said one of the things he is working on now is a grain rescue trailer.

Much of what he does is geared toward young people and students. He said those students really pay attention to all the information being given at safety day events.

“In the early ’90s we did just a couple of those in the state but now they are being held from one side of Kentucky to the other, and we have teachers and others that are coordinating these safety days that were students themselves when we started this,” said Dobson.

Over the 25 years he has brought his safety message to the NFMS, he said the number of people interested and the number of those who want to help and host their own safety programs keeps growing. That includes going to farming operations to set up demonstrations for employees, local farmers and local emergency response personnel.

Because of the leadership Kentucky has shown in farm safety, Dobson said companies are coming to him, wanting to make the safety demonstration trailers. He also said other states are beginning to follow Kentucky’s lead in implementing these programs. “Over the years we’ve made a lot of contacts and don’t mind to share what we have and work with others in the process of doing it,” said Dobson.