Farming is an essential part of the American economy and has been since the countries inception back in the late 18th century. Farming or agriculture and related industries, which include things like food sales, all said to contribute $1.5 trillion to the United States gross domestic product (GDP). This means that farming contributes about 6 percent of the nation’s overall economy. Farming also accounts for where Americans get a large majority of their food.
A Growing Industry
Statistics show that 87% of United States agricultural products sold are produced on family farms or ranches. Agricultural farming accounts for about 1% of the US GDP. Internationally and nationally, one American farm feeds 166 people annually.
Figures show that this global population is expected to increase by 2.2 billion by 2050. This means the world’s farmers (including American farmers) will have to meet the increasing demand for these higher numbers. United States farmers will have to grow about 70% more food than what is now produced.
There are a variety of positions on a farm which contribute to a farm’s production. Farm work can include such positions as working with animals — feeding, cleaning, caring for sick or newborn livestock, and using milking machines for dairy work. Some workers spend their days plowing fields, sowing seeds, spreading fertilizer, or crop spraying and harvesting.
Other farm employees operate tractors, combine harvesters, and other farm vehicles, while other workers focus on the maintenance of farm buildings. Other jobs that exist on the farm include laying and trimming hedges, digging and maintaining ditches, and putting up or mending fences. The pay rate for such positions in the United States is $16 per hour as, but the salary range typically falls between $14 and $18 on an hourly basis.
We’ve established that farming is an ever-growing industry and includes a variety of job positions to choose from. One thing to be aware of though is that farming can sometimes be a dangerous occupation, where a worker might be injured. Whether it’s getting injured by machinery on the farm, or maybe accidentally inhaling improperly stored crow repellent for corn seed, it’s best to know what your options are if you are injured while on the farm.
What do you do if injured on a farm?
The first thing that you’ll want to do if injured while working on a farm is to seek medical attention. Whether it’s calling an ambulance or going to a doctor your immediate treatment is what matters first and foremost. If an onsite first aid kit isn’t enough to take care of your injury definitely look into seeking immediate medical attention.
Record and report the injury as much as possible. Try your best to remember what exactly happened, what time it happened, and how you were affected. Remembering such details will go a long way when you are questioned about the event, and it helps to be overly prepared in cases such as these. In some cases, other parties such as government agencies, vendors, and contractors might need to be contacted. You might need to contact an attorney, so it helps to keep track of your records if, for example, you need to hire a Raleigh North Carolina workers comp lawyer.
Try to preserve evidence of the accident. Take photos of the scene of the accident, including your injury. Gather as much contact information as you can from witnesses and bystanders and keep your tools and equipment which were involved in the injury.
As mentioned before, investigate hiring a lawyer. It would be best to have someone with a law background representing you throughout your accident investigation. A lawyer can also help to steer you through the claims process and dealing with insurance companies. They can also help to navigate you through workers’ compensation laws.
