BOISE, Idaho — It’s almost time for farmers to trade the planting plows for harvest combines.
"We need to realize that we can't just go to the grocery store and buy what we need there," Magic Valley farmer Rick Brune said. "It's got to be produced somewhere."
While harvest season is important, it's also important to recognize the work is done with the help of farmworkers.
"They are the backbone of our agricultural economy here in Idaho," said Irene Ruiz, executive director of the Idaho Immigrant Resource Alliance.
Brune and Ruiz said safety is a top priority this time around, especially when injuries and fatalities oftentimes happen.
"It was really heartbreaking to see some of the people that are injured and killed, unfortunately,” Brune said.
When asked why farmworker safety is top of mind, Ruiz said, "because these are human beings, these are people who are feeding us – we need to think about them – not the bottom line."
"It is very important to me to get everyone out there and have that knowledge that they need for farm safety," Brune added.
Members of Leadership Idaho Agriculture, including Brune, helped create a work safety book titled "Tailgate Talks."
"The concept of the book is just to start a conversation around a tailgate and cover some farm safety topics,” Brune said.
The book covers general safety, machinery and animal handling.
"They also cover a little bit on the cows and how they would react to people walking up to them and stuff," Brune said. "We have ATV safety in it and water safety."
The book is offered in both English and Spanish to make sure everyone is able to understand.
"Most of our workers are Hispanic, so we wanted to reach out to that group, whether they're local or been brought in under the H2A programs,” Brune said.
While this initiative is a great start, Ruiz said more needs to be done.
"It's not enough, right? And I feel like there needs to be more training where they can actually have real in-person training, and actually have a trainer that can answer the questions that they need,” Ruiz said.
That also includes fostering an open and safe environment.
"There's just a little bit of power dynamics that come into play, where we see farmworkers might be scared to talk to their bosses about, 'well, this is what happened,'" Ruiz said.
Brune said this isn’t the end of the evolution of the book.
"The safety issues are always changing," Brune said. "It'll be something that'll be continuous, ongoing concept."
As it evolves, Ruiz hopes more farmers consider adding this book to their training.
"I do hope that things like those booklets are a requirement," Ruiz said. "To be able to see some kind of booklet coming out that does that, I think it's encouraging."
It’s a mission that also resonates with Brune.
"If we can save one life, that's worth all the effort of doing it,” Brune said.