[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 183 (Wednesday, September 22, 1999)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 51415-51416]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-24888]



[[Page 51413]]

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Part IV





The President





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Proclamation 7224--National Farm Safety and Health Week, 1999



Proclamation 7225--National Historically Black Colleges and Universites 
Week, 1999
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  Federal Register / Vol. 64, No. 183 / Wednesday, September 22, 1999 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 51415]]

                Proclamation 7224 of September 17, 1999

                
National Farm Safety and Health Week, 1999

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                President Franklin Roosevelt once called America's 
                farmers and ranchers ``the source from which the 
                reservoirs of our nation's strength are constantly 
                renewed.'' It was during his Administration, in the 
                critical years of World War II, that Americans began to 
                realize that thousands of agricultural workers and 
                their families suffered disabling and fatal injuries 
                each year in their work of producing food for our 
                Nation and the world. The tragic statistics were so 
                troubling that President Roosevelt, with the 
                encouragement of his Secretary of Agriculture and the 
                President of the National Safety Council, signed the 
                initial proclamation for National Farm Safety Week in 
                1944.

                We have achieved substantial progress in the decades 
                since that first proclamation. Farm equipment 
                manufacturers have engineered safety features into 
                their machinery that have decreased the likelihood of 
                severe injuries among operators. Chemical manufacturers 
                have reformulated pest control products to reduce the 
                potential for poisoning incidents. Personal protective 
                equipment is now available to protect farm and ranch 
                workers. And safety and health professionals have made 
                great strides in the development and implementation of 
                educational initiatives that raise awareness among 
                agricultural workers of measures and equipment they can 
                use to reduce on-the-job injuries and health risks.

                But we cannot afford to become complacent. Children 
                continue to be the most vulnerable members of farming 
                and ranching families. Those who work with livestock 
                and around farm machinery should be carefully 
                supervised and should be assigned chores that are 
                commensurate with their level of awareness, knowledge, 
                and ability to perform the job safely. Older Americans 
                working in agriculture also are at risk; farmers and 
                ranchers often work well past retirement age in a 
                determined effort to maintain the farming heritage of 
                their families and to continue contributing to the 
                vocation they love. Many of these older men and women 
                have suffered work-related hearing impairment over the 
                years, and many also have limited mobility due to 
                previous injuries or arthritis. Their families and 
                coworkers should be vigilant in overseeing the 
                activities of these older workers to help ensure their 
                safety as they carry out their daily responsibilities.

                America's farmers and ranchers are the backbone of our 
                economy and the lifeblood of our land, and their skill, 
                effort, and determination provide food and fiber for 
                our country and the world. Our farming and ranching 
                families stand for the values that have kept America 
                strong for more than 220 years--hard work, faith and 
                family, perseverance and patience. We all have a vital 
                interest in their success, and we can all play an 
                important role in ensuring their continued well-being. 
                As we observe this year's theme of ``Protecting 
                Agriculture in the Next Century,'' I urge all Americans 
                to show their appreciation for the dedication and 
                sacrifices of our Nation's farmers and ranchers by 
                renewing our efforts to protect their safety and 
                health. Together, we can ensure that the time-honored 
                traditions of American farming and ranching will 
                flourish in the new century.

[[Page 51416]]

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United 
                States, do hereby proclaim September 19 through 
                September 25, 1999, as National Farm Safety and Health 
                Week. I call upon government agencies, businesses, and 
                professional associations that serve our agricultural 
                sector to strengthen their efforts to promote safety 
                and health programs among our Nation's farm and ranch 
                workers. I ask agricultural workers to take advantage 
                of the many diverse education and training programs and 
                technical advancements that can help them avoid injury 
                and illness. I also call upon our Nation to recognize 
                Wednesday, September 22, 1999, as a day to focus on the 
                risks facing young people on farms and ranches. 
                Finally, I call upon the citizens of our Nation to 
                reflect on the bounty we enjoy thanks to the labor and 
                dedication of agricultural workers across our land.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                seventeenth day of September, in the year of our Lord 
                nineteen hundred and ninety-nine, and of the 
                Independence of the United States of America the two 
                hundred and twenty-fourth.

                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 99-24888
Filed 9-21-99; 9:16 am]
Billing code 3195-01-P