AgriSafe Learning
Too Young to Plow Alone: Keeping Youth Safe on the Farm with AYWG & HAYWG
Includes a Live Web Event on 09/24/2025 at 1:00 PM (CDT)
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Summary: This webinar will focus on practical strategies to ensure the safety and well-being of youth working on farms, using the Agricultural Youth Work Guidelines (AYWG) and the Hired Agricultural Youth Work Guidelines (HAYWG). This will underscore the importance of aligning job tasks with a child's developmental abilities, rather than age alone, to prevent injury and promote a safe working environment.
Through real-life examples, current data, and evidence-based guidelines, this session will help participants evaluate tasks, implement safer work practices, and understand federal and state labor laws related to youth in agriculture. Special attention is given to preventing injuries involving tractors, machinery, and hazardous work that young children may not be developmentally ready to perform
Objectives: At the end of this webinar, participants will be able to...
- Recognize the Risks: Identify the leading causes of youth injury and fatality on farms, especially related to age-inappropriate tasks.
- Understand the Guidelines: Gain familiarity with the Agricultural Youth Work Guidelines (AYWG) and the Hired Agricultural Youth Work Guidelines (HAYWG) tools for matching farm tasks with a youth’s age and developmental stage.
- Apply Development-Based Safety Practices: Use evidence-based resources to determine whether a young person is physically, cognitively, and emotionally prepared to safely perform specific agricultural tasks.
- Comply with Labor Laws: Understand how to comply with the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and any relevant state laws regarding youth employment in agriculture.
- Implement Practical Safety Steps: Learn actionable strategies to reduce risks on the farm, such as supervision protocols, training, safety checklists, and equipment restrictions for young workers.
- Promote a Culture of Safety: Encourage a mindset that prioritizes youth safety and supports long-term injury prevention and responsible mentorship on farms.
Intended audience: Farm parents and agricultural employers who hire youth workers.
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LockedThe University of Cincinnati, Department of Environmental and Public Health Sciences, Education and Research Center offers 1.0 contact hour for each webinar during National Farm Safety and Health Week. Upon completing the evaluation, learners will receive a certificate of completion. This course can meet continuing education requirements for a variety of professionals including: BGC criteria for IH/CIH professionals, BCSP criteria for safety professionals, CPH criteria for public health professionals.
Melissa Ploeckelman Brown
Outreach Specialist
National Children's Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety (NCCRAHS)
Melissa Ploeckelman Brown is a powerhouse of passion and purpose, serving as the Outreach Specialist for the National Farm Medicine Center and the National Children’s Center for Rural Agricultural Health and Safety. Before she was spreading the word about farm safety, she spent six years inspiring the next generation as an agriculture instructor, FFA advisor, and Youth Apprenticeship coordinator in the Colby School District. Melissa's roots run deep—literally. Raised on her family’s dairy farm in Stetsonville (where she still jumps in to help), she’s been living and breathing agriculture her whole life. A proud 2010 grad of UW–River Falls with a degree in agricultural education, Melissa’s leadership shone early on when she served as the 2006–2007 State FFA Parliamentarian, was crowned 2008 Marathon County Fairest of the Fairs, and went on to become the 2009 State Fairest of the Fairs in Wisconsin. Today, Melissa is on a mission to keep farm families safe, one story at a time. Whether she’s in the classroom, the barn, or the garden, she’s always planting seeds of awareness and cultivating safer futures for rural communities.
