Tragedy Leads to Education During Grain Bin Safety Week

MARSHFIELD, WI (OnFocus) – Cadrien Livingston was just 10 years old when her dad, Craig, died in a grain bin incident on their northeast Nebraska ranch.“Four days after we lost Dad, Mom and I sat down at the kitchen table,” said Cadrien, now 25. “She explained to me that we needed to make some tough decisions.”

Decisions such as whether to stay on the ranch, or sell it and move to town and get a job.

“As Mom and I talked, I knew I wanted my sisters to have the same opportunities I had to grow up and enjoy ranch life,” Cadrien said. “It was also important to me and Mom to keep Dad’s legacy going.”

Today, the 88 Ranch is thriving, and Cadrien provides grain handling safety training as a regional safety manager for Viterra. Her LinkedIn page features the phrase, “Turning tragedy into opportunity.”

“I want Dad’s life to count for more than just how he died,” Cadrien said. “It’s important to me to share his story every time I can, and do everything possible to make sure no other families have to go through this kind of experience.”

Read “Craig’s Story” at the Telling the Story Project website, a collaboration of three agricultural safety centers funded by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). The project’s stories weave injury prevention messages into first-hand accounts of farmers and others impacted by agricultural trauma incidents.

Participating centers include: Central States Center for Agricultural Safety and Health (Nebraska); National Children’s Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety; and the Upper Midwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center (Minnesota).

Submitted by Marshfield Research Institute

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