For a farm kid, this meant tractors without cabs had to have an umbrella or buggy top as necessary equipment. We baled a lot of hay and walked a lot of beans in the early morning or evening when it was cooler and out of the direct sunlight.
The Upper Midwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center (UMASH) has a page of its website dedicated to sun safety (http://umash.umn.edu/…) tips. The Center even has a series of sunscreen do's and don'ts.
These include:
DO use mineral-based, broad spectrum UVA/UVB of SPF 30-50. DO use one tablespoon of sunscreen per large body part. DO re-apply every two hours and more frequently with sweat and swimming.
DON'T use spray sunscreens. DON'T skip sunscreen on cloudy days. DON'T use sunscreen as a standalone protection.
UMASH wants those involved in agriculture to remember these simple Ss -- SLIP on a shirt, SLOP on sunscreen, SLAP on a hat, SEEK shade and SLIDE on sunglasses.
I have never had any issues following these sun safety rules but I know not everyone in ag does follow these as diligently as I do. Thus, farmers tend to have some issues with skin cancer just from the amount of time they spend in the sun. My dad, who as a youth spent most of the summers baling hay on the family's dairy farm, has had spots removed from his face, ears and neck over the years. Luckily nothing has been too serious.
I asked him once why my grandparents didn't make him wear sunscreen, considering how much time he spent in the sun on the farm. He said they just didn't consider things like sunscreen back then. So, despite him having red hair as well, I guess everyone in my family worked outside in the 1960s and just got burnt to a crisp.
I am kind of glad I was not around to experience this.
So as the summer activities begin and the temperatures rise, please remember the sun safety tip from UMASH. You don't have to worry about me -- I will be the one in the shade as much as humanly possible.
Russ Quinn can be reached at russ.quinn@dtn.com
Follow him on Twitter @RussQuinnDTN
(c) Copyright 2021 DTN, LLC. All rights reserved.
The Link LonkJune 08, 2021 at 05:10PM
https://ift.tt/3puTbbf
Sun Safety Is No Joke - DTN The Progressive Farmer
https://ift.tt/2BsGM2G
Joke
No comments:
Post a Comment