Morrisville, Vermont – January 6, 2012

“Farming is such a dangerous lifestyle,” Selina Rooney said.

Rooney should know; her family has spent eight generations farming in Lamoille County.

Today’s chore– splitting wood for the upcoming sugaring season. The log splitter is powered by the farm’s 1970s tractor.

There are many old tractors still in use. And they pose a danger to their drivers, because they do not have safety equipment that is standard on machines built after 1985, including roll bars. And tractor rollovers are the leading cause of death on the farm. That’s why UVM Extension launched a Rebates for Roll Bars program in 2010, sponsored by the Cooperative Insurance Company.

“We provide an informational hotline and a 70 to 75 percent rebate to any Vermont tractor owner who wants to retrofit their tractor with a roll bar because we know it provides 99 percent prevention to the leading cause of death for a farmer,” said Mike Myers of UVM Extension.

But finding a roll bar that will fit an older tractor takes a lot of time, and on the farm, time is money.

“We did studies and farmers don’t put roll bars on because they don’t have the time to find out what’s available and how to get it and they don’t have the money to spare to put it on. So this program gives them the exact info what’s available for their tractor and also gives them that 70 percent rebate, so they can afford to put it on and protect themselves and their family,” Myers said.

The average cost for a roll bar is about $800. The average rebate is about $660.

It was slightly more for Rooney’s tractor

“Somewhere around $1,000 and then it took three of the guys on the farm most of the day to put it on, it was quite a project. But we never would have done it if it hadn’t been for this program,” she said.

Farming is so important to the economy here, that the Lamoille County Economic Development Corporation has also pledged $140,000 over the next four years to the Rebates for Roll Bars program.

“I think the figures are when a farm goes out of business within a year of that accident is over a $900,000 impact in the community,” said Barbara Morrow of the Lamoille County Economic Development Corporation. “For the LEDC board it was a no brainer. This is something that begs to be supported and it is a meaningful thing to do for our farmers.”

There are currently 357 farms in Lamoille County and the LEDC’s goal is to make sure each farm has at least one tractor with a roll bar.

The Rebates for Roll Bars program is open to anyone who owns a tractor.

Click here for more information or call 1-877-767-7748.