In West Virginia, one man's steadfast commitment to community safety has been a driving force for positive change. Brian Sparks has been a dedicated advocate for safety education for over two decades, bringing about positive change in his community. With over 20 Progressive Agriculture Safety Day programs completed, Brian's journey exemplifies the power of collaboration, determination, and service.

In 2002, Brian began working with the Progressive Agriculture Foundation (PAF) by continuing the Safety Day program through the West Virginia University (WVU) Extension office in Nicholas County. This year, Brian will receive the Bernard Geschke Volunteer Service Award, which recognizes over 20 years of service with the Progressive Agriculture Foundation.

Tim Roberts is a dedicated volunteer whose commitment to the cause has impacted countless lives. With 33 Safety Day programs under his belt, Tim’s journey with the Progressive Agriculture Foundation (PAF) is a testament to his unwavering dedication and passion for safeguarding our future generations.

Sherrie Nestor, a Senior Scale Operator for Cargill, was first introduced to the Progressive Agriculture Safety Day® (PAF Safety Day) program in 1995. For over two decades Nestor has been a volunteer safety day coordinator and in 2022, received the Bernard Geschke Volunteer Service Award.

Mike Lowe, division manager and senior instructor in Sussex County with the Delaware Fire School, was first introduced to the Progressive Agriculture Safety Day® (PAF Safety Day) program through his local Safe Kids Coalition. Mike taught a safety station during PAF Safety Day hosted by the Safe Kids Coalition, and then began offering the Program in his community.

Farm safety and disaster preparedness became very personal to Justin Tucker, agriculture educator with Cornell Cooperative Extension in Franklin County New York, when their family’s dairy barn burned to the ground due to an electrical fire in 2016.

More than 1,300 youth participants and nearly 280 volunteers – those are the numbers of individuals directly impacted by Greg Highfill’s Progressive Agriculture Safety Day (PAF Safety Day) programs.

Stephanie Tobin, an Alabama regional extension agent in Clay County, shared that a Progressive Agriculture Safety Day (PAF Safety Day) means educating youth on best practices and what it means to be safe on a farm and in the community. As a past community-based PAF Safety Day participant from 1998 through 2012, before taking the reins as a lead PAF Safety Day Coordinator in 2018, Stephanie knows firsthand the positive impact that the Program has on individuals and communities.

Have you ever considered the return of investment regarding your volunteer time? Amy Rademaker with the Carle Center for Rural Health and Farm Safety in Urbana, Illinois, does and shares that if a child’s life was saved due to a lesson that they learned at a Progressive Agriculture Safety Day® (PAF Safety Day), then the return on that volunteer investment was priceless.

When first learning about the Progressive Agriculture Safety Day® (PAF Safety Day) program from a co-worker, Tyrone Gentry immediately knew that there was a need for safety and health education in Green County, Kentucky. Tyrone is a 4-H Youth Development Agent with the 4-H Youth Development program within Kentucky Cooperative Extension.

The Warren-Henderson Farm Bureau mission statement reads, “…to promote and support agriculture and our communities.” According to Gina Sanberg, manager of the Warren-Henderson Farm Bureau® in Illinois and Progressive Agriculture Safety Day (PAF Safety Day) Coordinator, that statement aligns with the PAF Safety Day coordinated each year by their office for fifth-grade students which commonly reaches 250 youth participants.

Rachael Brooke is slated to coordinate the first Progressive Agriculture Safety Day® (PAF Safety Day) in North America for the 2023 calendar year. The PAF Safety Day currently organized by Rachael was already established when she began her K- State Extension career but knew immediately that it was something that she wanted to continue.

I’ve never known life outside of the agriculture industry. I grew up in southern Kentucky where tobacco and cattle are plentiful. As a young child, I pulled tobacco plants, begged to ride the tobacco setter, and bottle fed calves. As I got older, I hoed tobacco, begged not to ride the tobacco setter, and would do about anything I could to stay out of the barn when it was time to strip the tobacco.