As a result, agriculture also has the highest incidence of death of children. Research suggests farm accidents aren't random occurrences nor randomly distributed. Younger operators' families have more accidents. Nearly half of deaths and injuries come from farm machinery. Researchers have found a discrepancy in what parents believe about children using farm machinery and what they actually practice on the farm.
Research is needed to address the question of farm child death rates, their causes, and prevention.
It's easy to say money will solve the problem. Money is needed for adequate, affordable rural child care, to hire adult farm workers, for education, for more university safety personnel, and for better safety equipment. But, only throwing money at this problem won't solve it. A general perception exists among farmers and Extension personnel that safety, while important, is somewhat less of a concern than other issues. Extension must do more than a few radio spots during farm safety week.