By Rep. Randy Feenstra and Kip Eideberg --
Editor’s Note: This was originally published by the Washington Examiner. It is being republished here with their permission.
Farmers are the backbone of our country – the hardworking men and women who feed and fuel our nation. But too often, their needs are far from the focus of policy discussions in Washington.
Case in point: every year, nearly one hundred farmers in the United States lose their lives to the top cause of on-farm deaths: tractor rollovers. The tragedy is that these deaths are almost entirely preventable – and Congress can help.
The simple solution is known as a roll-over protective structure, or ROPS. These safety bars, when paired with a seatbelt, are 99 percent effective at preventing injury or death in a rollover. They have been required on new tractors for decades, but many of the older models still in use, particularly on small, family-run farms, lack this life-saving protection.
Across rural America, farmers are doing more with less. High input prices and trade dynamics have increased costs, weather events have strained harvests, and global supply chain disruptions have made it harder to purchase new equipment and expand operations. For many producers, the balance sheet continues to tighten as the cost of business continues to climb.
These challenges leave little room for added expenses, even when the cost could save a life. For family farms working on razor-thin margins, even the relatively minor cost to retrofit a ROPS can be out of reach. Yet those older tractors are often the backbone of their daily operations because of their reliability, durability, and the fact they are likely already paid off. Without help, many farmers are forced to choose between financial strain and personal safety.
That is why Congress must act to help farmers afford this essential upgrade. The ROPS Tractor Safety Act would establish a national grant program to cover 70 percent of the cost of purchasing, transporting, and installing a rollover protective structure. It is modeled after successful state programs that have already saved lives, prevented injuries, and kept family farms in operation.
Since 2006, more than 3,600 tractors across 27 states have been retrofitted through rebate programs like this one. Farmers participating in these efforts have reported dozens of incidents in which death or permanent disability were likely prevented. We owe it to every farmer in America to make sure that safety is not a luxury.
This crucial legislation will empower farmers with tools that will protect them. By passing this bill, we can prevent hundreds of tragedies over the next decade. That is a return on investment that cannot be measured in dollars.
Farming should not be a dangerous job, and we owe it to America’s farmers to ensure they have the tools and support they need to do their jobs safely and productively. This bipartisan legislation proves that when we put people before politics, we can save lives and strengthen rural America.
A simple bar can mean the difference between life and death. Let’s pass this commonsense bill that will keep our farmers safe.
