Children’s Injuries on Beef Cattle Farms With more than 70,000
family-owned and operated farms in the state, many Kentucky
children are active participants in farm labor operations.
Research has suggested that children who reside on farms with
livestock may be at an increased risk for work-related injuries
compared to children who work on other commodity farms, such as
those growing tobacco or grain. The primary purpose of this
3-year longitudinal study was to characterize children’s work
tasks on beef cattle farms, to identify the characteristics that
predict the amount of time children work at these tasks, to
determine whether beef cattle farms are more labor intensive for
child workers, and to assess whether children who work on these
farms are at increased risk for farm work injuries. In addition,
research on farm management practices was undertaken to better
understand animal handling procedures and work practices on
Kentucky beef cattle farms. Led by Dr. Steven R. Browning, this
study built upon baselin