Farmers react to child labor regulations being dropped

DENMARK - Children working on farms is commonplace in Wisconsin.

Farm injuries are the second leading cause of workplace deaths for kids nationwide.

However, proposed federal labor regulations limiting child farm labor have been shot down.

Area farmers say they're relieved the U.S. Dept. of Labor's plan has been dropped.

It would have restricted kids under 16 from operating most heavy machinery.

The rules also would have prevented those under 18 from working on certain parts of the farm.

The plan did not apply to children who work on farms owned by their parents.

Child labor groups are disappointed with the decision and say more children will die in farm accidents that could have been prevented.

However, area farmers say safety remains a top concern and is continually being addressed.

On dairy farms across Wisconsin, farmers say they often get help from youngsters looking for experience with animals and agriculture.

Kids just like Emily Kane, who's been working with cows since she was 12.

"I work on a jersey farm, and I feed the calves, and milk the cows, and clean up,” said Kane, now a junior in high school.

This past week, the Obama administration pulled its support of new child labor regulations for children under 16. Those regulations also would have prevented working with power driven equipment, unpredictable animals and working with manure piles or pesticides.

Working with machinery  can be dangerous, but farmers we spoke with say they generally regulate on their own what machines are safe for the teens to use.

"I don't think we need federal regulations. We have too many regulations,” said dairy farmer Jim Wavrunek. “What we need to do is educate these kids."

Wavrunek says every high school senior who comes to work on his farm through the Denmark High School Co-op Program learns at a different pace. He assigns them chores according to their skill level.

"Every kid is a little different so you can give more responsibility than the next one. The majority of the kids I get from the co-op program haven’t even lived on farms,” he said.

Kane said she has never lived on a farm, but she believes her experience working from an early age will prove invaluable later in life.

"I think it'll help me a lot because working on a farm, everyone thinks it takes a lot of hard work," she said.

"If you talk to any business owner, the first kid they'll grab is someone who's worked on a farm, or is a farm kid, because they know how to be responsible,” said Wavrunek.

And those who work the fields, and in these barns, say they'll continue their tradition of responsible, hands-on farm education even without a mandate in place.