The Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation is warning about ongoing federal regulatory “creep,” including updates to agriculture labor laws for people under 18.
Spokesman Casey Langan says the proposed rule changes will “drastically reduce the amount of work that youth can do on farms.” The Bureau is concerned the proposals will make managing family farms more difficult.
Among the proposed regulations is restricting the operation of power-driven machines to those 16 and older.
US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has defended the proposals. He’s argues that, while only 4-percent of working youth are in the farming sector, 40-percent of the fatalities among working kids are associated with machines, equipment, or facilities related to agriculture.
AUDIO: Brian Moon reports (1:01)