Washington Co., Wi – The Washington County Farm Bureau, Allenton Fire Department, and Farmers Implement are hosting their third annual Youth Farm Safety Program this spring. The dates for the 3-day program are March 21, April 11 and April 18. 2026. Â This program was brought back to the county after the tragic death of a young farmer, Curtis Nehm.
By state and federal law youth between the ages of 12 to 16 must be certified with this training to work on a farm. Those between the ages 14 to 16 must complete the course successfully to operate farm equipment on roads.
The first class will cover farm safety, confined spaces, waste storage-and-handling, and laws of operating on the road. Â In the afternoon the class will travel to the Krueger Dairy KDFC to tour a working dairy operation with qualified instructors.
The second class will focus on reaction times, pre-operational procedures, tractor components, minor equipment repairs, dealing with storage handling, and an entrapment demonstration. Â During the day there will be time spent with qualified instructors on actual operation of a farm tractor.
The final Saturday includes fire extinguisher training, first-aid training, a written exam, and practical driving test.
The course material used for the training is Gear Up For Safety developed by Purdue University. Â There will be homework for each student to complete prior to class sessions and followed during days of training.
More than 40 volunteers make up the training corps. Â These volunteers are from the Wisconsin Antique Power Reunion Club, Allenton Fire Department, employees of Farmers Implement along with Farmers Grain and Feed and Helena Corporation.
There is $50 fee that helps offset the costs of lunch each day, and premiums each youngster receives when they successfully complete the course.
Registration forms are available at https://wfbf.com/about/counties/washington/ or by contacting Allen Dornacker at 262-689-7283 or Ron Naab at 262-716-7292.
