Better Pork - October 2016

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10 Better Pork October 2016
EMERGENCYPLANNING
well in avoiding needless crisis.”
The Terpstras run Silver Corners
with the help of only one hired hand.
In essence, that’s three people presid-
ing over a farm with much livestock
and farm acreage to worry about,
as well as three young boys running
about. The responsibilities are con-
siderable, so the emergency measures
and plans in place should be, too.
Dennis Terpstra says dealing
with emergencies is ultimately about
dealing with people: safeguarding
their health and safety in the event
that something unfortunate happens.
“Kids are kids, but we’re constantly
warning them about the dangers on
the farm. You can see all the warn-
ing signs and labels around here. We
expect everyone, including ourselves,
to take them seriously.”
In fact, there are warning signs just
about everywhere on the Silver Cor-
ners farm, and it’s the direct result of
the recent PED scare. For example,
anyone trying to enter the farm area
behind the house is warned, via gate
and sign, not to do so. They have to
sign in. Tara Terpstra says, “It wasn’t
like this a few years ago, when anyone
could just walk around. We’re much
more careful now.”
The Terpstras also ensure that
proper emergency contact informa-
tion is available and available in the
right places. Throughout the farm,
formal yellow contact forms are
posted on walls in clear sight. There’s
one on the lockers as you enter the
shower area before entering the pig
barn; everyone on the farm knows
it’s there.
Is emergency planning mandatory?
Training is the first thing that comes
to mind for Mike Brine, Agribusi-
ness Specialist for Trillium Mutual
Insurance in Listowel, when asked
about on-farm emergency planning.
He says, “With the trend of farms
getting bigger, especially in terms of
hired personnel, it’s very important
that not only do these people get
proper (emergency procedure) train-
ing, but that this training is specific
for the farm they’re working at.”
When asked if TrilliumMutual
requires its agricultural policy holders