EAST LANSING, Mich. — Farming is a dangerous occupation. In 2001-02, the agriculture industry was ranked No. 1 for fatalities, followed by building construction. From 2003-05 agriculture fell to No. 2, behind mining, according to Deb Chester, Michigan Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (MiFACE) researcher with Michigan State University who tracks data regarding Michigan farm fatalities.

Two recent incidents in Michigan are just another reminder that farmers should be aware of risks they may be taking while working on their operations.

In just two days one man lost his life and another was seriously injured in separate farm accidents in Montcalm County.

Russ Fisk, 63, of Lowell died when he became trapped in a 10,000-bushel grain bin while loading out a semi load of shelled corn.

Jeffrey Paulen, 39, of Lakeview suffered a serious injury when his arm became entangled in an auger while he was feeding cattle on his farm. Since 2001, Chester has tracked farming fatalities, documenting details of the incidents and keeping track of statistics regarding cause, age of the operator, contributing factors and more.

Her research indicates that the leading cause of agricultural fatalities can be attributed to tractors.

“Machines are approximately 60 percent of the causes of the work-related fatalities in agriculture,” Chester said. “Of those the majority are tractors. Other types of equipment that have caused fatalities are skid steer loaders, h