Tractor Safety Training Scheduled for Area Youth
Tractor Safety Training Scheduled for Area Youth
By Pat Burt – Wild West District Agriculture & Natural Resources Agent
Agriculture is still the number one industry in Kansas and many Kansas youth will get their first taste of the industry working with or around tractors. For some, it will be a summer job and for others it will turn into longer employment and for some into a career. Regardless, learning tractor safety is something that all can benefit from. For 14 and 15-year-olds planning to do farm work for someone other than a parent or guardian, they must by federal law take a tractor safety course following the U.S. Department of Labor requirements before being employed for certain hazardous farm tasks. This includes operating a tractor of 20 horsepower or more.
K-State Extension Grant County and K-State Extension Wild West District are again teaming up to provide tractor safety training in our area. Tractor Safety training is open to teenagers 14-19 years old, regardless of their county of residence. The course will be located at the Seward County Fairgrounds Ag Building, located at 1501 W. 8th Street in Liberal, Kansas on Saturday, April 25, 2026 from 9 AM to 5:30 PM. The cost is $10 per student and pre-registration is required by noon on Wednesday, April 22. Students will need to bring their Social Security cards and the $10 fee the day of the class. Keating Tractor in Liberal will again be sponsoring the event and will be providing lunch for the attendees. Upon completion of this classroom course, participants will receive a “Training Completion Statement” form that shows they have completed the classroom and written test portions of the training but will still need to complete a 2 hour hands on training with an instructor (farmer or employer that will be having them operate a tractor) that will teach them some tractor basics and once completed, the signed form is turned in to the K-State Extension Grant County or Wild West District office where they will receive their “Certificate of Training”.
For more information or to sign up for the Tractor Safety training class, please call Pat Burt at 620-624-5604 at the K-State Extension Wild West District office or Lakin Shore at the K-State Grant County Extension office at 620) 356-1721.