В Висконсине 30 человек погибли на фермах в 2023 году: половина жертв — пенсионеры

New farm fatalities report shows aging farmers are at a higher risk STRATFORD, Wis. (WSAW) - Thirty people died on Wisconsin farms in 2023. Half of those farmers were 65 or older, according to the 2023 Farm Fatality Report. Researchers hope by compiling this report they don’t only find trends, but help prevent them. Melissa Ploeckelman Brown is the outreach specialist for the Marshfield Clinic Research Institute and the National Farm Medicine Center. She says older farmers are at a higher risk. “We know the age of farmers is getting older, but those people, they kind of tend to lose their balance more. They become fatigued faster, and their reaction time slows. And with all of that, we actually see them getting injured or even dying on the farm more often. And we can prevent some of those fatalities by making sure that they have someone working with them or nearby while they’re working on the farm,” Ploeckelman Brown said. Another way to look out for older farmers is to push them to take breaks. Tractor deaths Six deaths involved tractors, including rollovers and collisions. Ploeckelman Brown said farmers need to make sure they have slow-moving signs and the proper lights on. “And I would remind regular drivers, when you see farm equipment on the road, step on your brakes right away, because you catch up to that slow moving vehicle a lot faster than you think. So slow down in advance. And remember, it is always illegal to pass in a no-passing zone, even if the equipment in front of you is going less than 35 miles an hour,” Ploeckelman Brown said. In 2022 there were nine deaths involving tractors and 29 farm-related deaths. It takes years to compile this data, which is why the 30 deaths from 2023 are just being published. Click here to download the WSAW news app or WSAW First Alert weather app. Click here to submit a news tip or story idea. Copyright 2026 WSAW. All rights reserved.