This week the 4th grade students participated in Tesmer Farm Safety Day camp as a part of a school field
trip. Tesmer Farm Safety Day is an annual event that is a collaboration between Fillmore and Houston
County Extension Offices to bring basic farm and community safety to local 4th graders. All the local 4th
grade classrooms in each county attended.
Farm Safety Day was founded in the early 1990s by former Local Extension Educator, the Late Jerry
Tesmer and many other community members. It started as a small summer camp and now serves
between 400-600 local 4th graders annually. The event was named after Tesmer in 2016. This year we had
491 students and 58 teachers and chaperones attend from 18 public, private and homeschools in
Fillmore and Houston counties over the course of the 2 days.
The event is taught by local volunteers. Each session is led by a volunteer who is an expert in their field.
The sessions include: 911 safety, ATV safety, basic first aid, bicycle safety, electrical safety, fire safety, grain
safety, horse and livestock safety, large equipment safety and general farm safety, lawn mower safety,
plant ID, tractor Power Take Off (PTO) safety, tractor rollover safety, and water safety.
The event is dependent on the donations and generosity from local businesses and organizations,
equipment donated to use, and the volunteers. Each 4th grade student received a t-shirt, bag, and other
safety related items to remind them and keep them safe in their future endeavors.
Tesmer Farm Safety Day is a program that saves the lives of children and is completely funded by local
donations. Every donation of money, safety products, food, time, and resources contributes to that effort.
Please join me in thanking the people and businesses that make it happen.
Topics & Presenters:
911 – Fillmore and Houston County Sheriffs
ATV Safety – Emily Krekelberg and Brad Harguth
Basic First Aid – Preston and Caledonia Ambulance
Bicycle Safety – Fillmore and Houston County Public Health
Electric Safety – MiEnergy Cooperative
Fire Safety – Preston and Caledonia Fire Departments
Large Equipment Safety - Fillmore and Houston County Highway Departments
General Farm Safety – Mike Cruse and Jane Bjerke
Grain Drowning – Scott Winslow, Jeff Eickhoff and Mike Cruse
Horse Safety – Fillmore County 4-H Horse Project and Mandi Niebeling
Lawn Mower Safety – Roger Holderman and Emily Krekelberg
Livestock Safety – Dr. Lynn Aggen, Maggie Herman and McKenna Eglinton
Plant Identification – Fillmore County Extension Master Gardeners and Root River SWCD
PTO Safety – Mike Root
Tractor Rollover – Lisa Dierks, Doug Heintz and Eric Johnson
Water Safety – Stephanie Sharples and Houston County Sheriffs
Location support: Fillmore and Houston County Fair Boards and groundskeepers
Livestock: Dr. Lynn Aggen, Fillmore County 4-H Horse Project, Melissa Niccum, Arne Beneke, and Mandi
Niebeling
Equipment donation: Preston Equipment Company, Midwest Machinery, Roger Holdeman, RunRight
Power Equipment, and Brad Harguth
Student Volunteers: Fillmore Central FFA and Caledonia FFA
Lunch: Fillmore County Pork Producers, Fillmore County ADA, Houston County ADA, Rushford, Preston
and Harmony Foods, Kwik Trip in Chatfield and Caledonia, FormAFeed – Mike Root, Houston County
Cattlemen, and Reds IGA.
Camp Shirts and Bags: Kelly Printing and Signs
Sponsors: Safety Officer: $1 - $249 - A1 Precision Pumping, Acentek, American Legion Post 423, Beneke &
Associates, Caledonia Oil, Caledonia Veterinary Clinic, Christina Bailey, Compeer Financial Services, Dallas
and Sarah Dornink, Danielson Insurance Agency, Inc., Denny's Equip & Trailer Sales, Devoine and Linda
Kruse, Drury Furniture, F & M Community Bank & Insurance Services, Farmer's Win Coop, Fenske's IBA
LLC, Fillmore County ADA, Finseth Milk Hauling, First Southeast Banks - Harmony & Canton, Fitting
Brother's Excavating, Gp Truck Painting, Griffin Construction Co., Inc., H & R Block - Houston & Caledonia,
Harmony Veterinary Clinic, Harmony/Preston Agri Services, Inc., Harrington Enterprises, Houston County
DHIA, JMS Agronomics Inc., Kathy's Beauty Salon, Klug Insurance, Mabel Co-Op Telephone Co, Manahan
Machine Shop, Inc., Marburger Insurance (We Be of MN), McCabe Repairs, MiEnergy Cooperative, Mound
Prairie Mutual Insurance Company, Murphy & Roverud Law Office, Nethercut Schieber PA, New Albin
Savings Bank, Nikki's Ag Service, Pats Insurance Agency, Pioneer Seeds - Paul Frank - Spring Valley, Red's
Hometown Market, Root River State Bank, Scheevel & Sons Inc., Spring Grove Lumber, Stephanie & Tracy
Sharples, Sub Zero Pizza and Ice Cream, and Wilmington Mutual Insurance
Safety Supervisor: $250 - $499 - Caledonia Haulers, Craig's Auto Repair, ESB Banking & Insurance,
Farmers Win, Hammell Equipment Inc., Loveless-Eikens American Legion #191, M &M Lawn and Leisure,
MiBroadband, Minnesota Metals, Preble Farmers Mutual, Rushford State Bank, Septic Pros, SNO PAC
Foods, Inc., Southeast Electric Inc, Spring Grove Communication, STS plumbing & Heating, and Wiebke
Tire
Safety Superhero: $500+ - Ag Partners, Farm Bureau Financial Service - Scott Evans, Fillmore County
Extension Master Gardeners, Fillmore County Farm Bureau, Fillmore County Pork Producers, First State
Bank of Minnesota, FormAFeed - Mike Root, Hammell Equipment Inc., Eitzen, Merchants Bank- Caledonia
& Spring Grove, Minnesota Ag in the Classroom, Nutrient Ag Solutions, Rushford, Preston and Harmony
Foods, Spring Grove American Legion Post #249, and The Club - Bar & Veteran's Organization
Extension Staff: Katie Drewitz, Heather Barth, Jennifer Burrichter, Alex Coe and Rebecca Paulson
Thank you,
Katie (Winslow) Drewitz
Local Extension Educator, Agriculture Production Systems, Horticulture & Natural Resources
University of Minnesota - Department of Agriculture & Natural Resources - Fillmore and Houston counties
