A reminder to take precautions when farming

[maplesky7]

Hello BYC members,
I just learned last night that my mom's dear friend lost her son and 20 yr grandson in a farming accident.

They raise pigs and were overcome by the deadly gas, hydrogen sulfide. There was a problem my mom tells me with the ventilating system and the father went in and didn't come back out.

His two sons were there, the 20 yr. old ran in to save his father and the 24 yr. old ran to the house to call for help. The 20 yr. old did not come back out either.

I found an article, outdated but has some interesting facts if you'd care to read:

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpa...936A1575BC0A967958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=1

This is for sure a tragic accident but if we could learn from each other...

Humbley,
Gretchen

 

[warren]

How sad. I know that hydrogen sulphide is very poisonous but it smells so strong that most people get away from it very quickly. At dangerous levels it becomes impossible to smell it as it poisons the smell detecting mechanism of the nose.
My brother-in-law used to be a pig man and I did not know how dangerous it could be.

 

[buck-wild-chick]

poor guy.. So if they woulnd have put more vents in that place, the gas would not have been so strong ?? idk

 

[deb1]

Very sad.

 

[deb1]

The article stated: Pig farmers in the United States and Europe were driven to indoor pens by the need to keep production prices down, to raise more pigs that are uniformly lean and to maintain production through the winter. Dale Shires, director of the office of the Iowa State Agricultural Extension Service here, said year-round production helped farmers earn steadier incomes

Are the modern methods used for confining pigs so that we can have tasty meat at fault or would even pigs on pasture produce this gas?

 

[Colored Egg Farmer]

Quote:
I think its due to the fact the manure is stored underneath the building and if the vents are not working it builds up to a hazardious level.

 

[maplesky7]

It's a bi-product of the decomposing fecal matter.

It is also a gas found in mines...hence, miners with canaries. My mom informed me.

me,
g

 

[Katy]

Farming is in the top ten most dangerous jobs. When you consider all the big machinery, PTOs, animal. etc that we work with it's wonder more aren't killed

 

[Colored Egg Farmer]

Now that is a good point. Maybe tell all the people complaining that farmers have there prices to high should look at the stats.

 

[shaylee]

My father was a farmer, I remember broken ribs from a fall from the hayloft onto a flatbed, fingers reattached after a fight with a bean auger, his foot exploded after a 2 ton feed grinder fell off the 'hillbilly' jack and landed on it, he fell into a silo when he slipped once, it wasnt full so he made it. I could go on what I saw the 16 years I lived at home. Farming is dangerous. Sad that lives are lost over 'preventable' accidents for the most part. Donald will admit that most of the accidents were human error. I remember my bus drivers brother broke his back in a field when he stood up and ran into a overhanging branch (brother was driving)

Its a shame and very sad. My condolences go out to the family.