Tips for Being Safe Around Livestock

The recent, tragic death of a farmer who was gored by one of his Highland cattle has gotten lots of us thinking about safety around livestock. Folks on one of the listserves that Rachel participates in talked about what had happened, even sharing stories of their own experiences and injuries.  Joe Emenheiser shared this list of things to remember when working with bulls: 1. Appreciate that a bull's job is to protect the herd, particularly during breeding season. 2. Never trust a bull, no matter how tame he usually is. 3. Bull calves treated like human babies grow up to be mature bulls that lack normal respect of humans. 4. Humans have a greater ability to think than to overcome the laws of physics. So think first. 5. Never enter a bull pasture or confined space without an exit plan. 6. Cull for disposition But it's not just bulls that we have to look out for. Statistics show that animal related trauma accounts for one of every five hospitalized farm injuries. Nearly 40% of these occur in April, May and June. Here's the breakdown of injuries caused by livestock type: • Cows - 33% • Horses - 46% • Steers and calves - 14% The high number of injuries caused by cows might happen when we come between cows and their calves, and because we may work with them more than steers. But we've heard that everyone has a cow or two that misbehaves. Like bulls, cull for disposition to protect yourself, your employees and your family. Injuries can be easily pre