Rules could limit youth roles on farms

23.05.12

AVILLA, Ind. (AP) — At 14, Sam Lawrence talks about farming like an old-timer.

The middle school student often works the family farm in Noble County decked out in jeans, plaid shirt, boots with spurs and a baseball cap. Sam can't imagine any other way of life. Sure, he plays video games, surfs the Internet and totes a cellphone like many kids his age.

But there is a seriousness about him that many might call a sense of purpose. Sam merely calls it "all I know."

"It would hurt if I couldn't help out," he said, during an unseasonably warm weekday this month. "I mean, kids are a big part of what gets done on a farm. I enjoy what I do. It would definitely hurt if it was taken away."

The U.S. Department of Labor may break Sam's heart. The agency is seeking to tweak its regulations with a controversial proposal that would include greatly limiting the work children younger than 16 can perform on farms.

Labor officials maintain that young workers are significantly more likely to die or suffer a serious injury doing agricultural work than in any other industry. A spokeswoman for the department said more than 100 youngsters die from farm-related injuries every year.

Source: WANE