[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 35, Number 38 (Monday, September 27, 1999)]
[Pages 1769-1770]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 7224--National Farm Safety and Health Week, 1999

September 17, 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.
    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

[[Page 1770]]

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.
                                            William J. Clinton

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 9:16 a.m., September 21, 
1999]

Note: This proclamation was published in the Federal Register on 
September 22. This item was not received in time for publication in the 
appropriate issue.