Staying safe on the farm is a priority for many today, but it was not always that way. In the 1970s, many areas of this topic were overlooked or still unexplored. However, Bill Field changed that landscape when he joined Purdue’s new ag safety program in 1977.

Field is now the Purdue Extension farm safety specialist and a professor in agricultural and biological engineering. He has traveled the country sharing stories and pioneering solutions to help farmers, their families and their employees lead safer lives. And it’s something he doesn’t think will change anytime soon.

“I have no interest in retiring,” Field says. “I love teaching, and I bring all kinds of stories into it.”

Today’s story

Storytelling is Field’s specialty. Sitting across from him as he jumps from one story to the next may leave you feeling lost temporarily, but they all eventually tie together and paint the bigger picture.

The story he lands on today that is part of his overarching farm safety education goal is raising awareness for people with disabilities in agriculture. More specifically, Field wants to find where these people fit in agriculture and how their jobs can be modified to suit their needs. This work shines through his role as director of the National AgrAbility Project.

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This passion was sparked by observing little to no resources for people with disabilities in the agricultural space. Field explains that he has seen some “silly” treatment of this group, which he has worked to mitigate.

“I think there’s still work to be done to help accommodate these people — in FFA, 4-H, Farm Bureau,” Field adds. “All of these agricultural organizations have historically struggled with addressing people with disabilities.”

Part of Field’s work in this area includes pushing back where he sees poor treatment of people with disabilities, as well as giving these folks a voice and a chance to share more about their experiences.

More work to be done

Field is also working on updating emergency management procedures for first responders handling farm accidents. He shares a story about two volunteer firefighters who died recently in a manure tanker in New York.

“These are unpaid people who show up at farms with no expectation of any funding, and they’re dying or being injured,” Field says. With a better understanding of injuries and farm risks, now is the time to factor that information into emergency management materials. Field adds that he wants to wrap up this new update before he retires so that fresh information can be out there.

He still has studies and work underway surrounding rural broadband, safety on Amish farms and disabilities in other countries, to name a few. He also continues to meet weekly with his AgrAbility team to stay updated and learn about new cases to pursue.

“I do believe that I’m following a path,” Field adds. “I get up in the morning, and for some reason, there’s always something that needs to be done. And I find that, at the end of the day, I might be tired. But I feel like there’s a reason why we’re doing what we’re doing.”

Bill Field at a glance

Current role: Purdue Extension farm safety specialist and professor of agricultural and biological engineering, director of National AgrAbility Project
Hometown: Cooperstown, N.Y.
Growing up: Worked for a local dairy farmer who had polio; later attended Farmingdale State College, where he discovered he enjoyed working with machinery
Past experience: Over 47 years promoting farm safety at Purdue; taught vocational agriculture at a high school for four years and at a technical college for two years
Family: Wife, Laurie; children, Libby, Evan, Hannah, Will and Abby; five grandchildren
No. 1 goal: Bring awareness to farm safety topics and help people with disabilities find their place in farming through AgrAbility
Notable: Traveled nationally and internationally to promote farm safety and a variety of other agricultural topics; over 50 years of teaching, never missing a semester