By KEVIN WALKER
Michigan Correspondent

CHARLOTTE, Mich. — A Michigan sheep farmer was killed late last month when the farm tractor he was driving was struck by a semi-truck.

The victim, Duane Tirrell, was 53.

“The shock is immeasurable, but we are coping,” said Pat Tirrell, Duane’s wife in an e-mail she sent to friends and associates.

A visitation for Duane was attended by 800 people, a memorial service was attended by 500 people and a later service at the Tirrell farm was attended by 300 people.

A news brief at the Michigan Sheep Breeders Assoc. (MSBA) stated that the large turnout attested to the “high esteem felt for Duane and the Tirrell family.”

The Michigan Farm Bureau (MFB) took note of the accident in a statement, saying that it serves as a “harsh reminder for farmers and motorists about the necessity of safely sharing roadways.”

“At this stage in the agricultural season, seeing farm equipment on Michigan roads is a new sight for drivers and something they don’t expect,” said Craig Anderson, a farm safety specialist at the MFB.

“It’s very similar to motorists getting used to seeing school buses out and about again in the fall after a summer hiatus. In the case of agriculture and spring planting, drivers should expect farm traffic over the next month or so, and when they see farm implements they need to recognize that the equipment is moving very slow.”

Anderson also noted that slow moving vehicle emblems should be used on vehicles with maximum speeds of 25 miles per hour. Very often these emblems are misused to mark driveways, he said. The slow moving vehicle emblem is a bright orange triangle framed in red.

According to the MFB, in 2005 there were 20 reported agriculture-related deaths in Michigan. Forty-nine percent of the deaths that year involved machines. Of machine related agriculture deaths, tractors are involved in the majority of cases, and most often the death is due to a tractor rollover.

According to the National Safety Council (NSC), nationwide over 700 farmers and ranchers die in work-related accidents yearly. Many of these injuries occur when farm tractors roll over on the operator and its passengers.

Another 120,000 agricultural workers suffer disabling injuries from work related accidents.

Newer farm vehicles are equipped with rollover protection, but older equipment can be retrofitted to provide similar protection.
The Tirrell family would like anyone interested in making a memorial contribution to direct it to the Duane Tirrell Memorial Fund at the MSBA.

Checks can be made out to the MSBA and sent to Judy Moore, 11989 Hinman Road, Eagle, MI 48822.

The Tirrell family and the MSBA board will decide how the fund will be used for the betterment of the sheep industry in Michigan.

This farm news was published in the May 16, 2007 issue of Farm World, serving Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan and Tennessee.