Utica Farmer Duane Daake shows the injuries done to his hand. Daake lost two of his fingers and the top of his thumb in an accident with a bailing machine.

Jeff Hajny

    Farmers are faced with many problems as they go through their daily routines. As they work, farmers must worry about what equipment to use, how well the crops are coming in for the year and how the animals are feeling for the day.
     A big problem in the lives of farmers is, as they use heavy machinery, the probablity of injury is very high. In his life, Utica farmer Duane Daake has had his share of injuries.
     Daake was born on a farm near Goehner. He started farming in 1961 and graduated from Seward High School. Upon graduating, he joined the Marines, where he served for 10 years. After his service in the military, he moved back to Utica, started a farm there and has been working there ever since.
     In 1972, Daake was working with a bailing machine. The machine got plugged and the warning bell had quit. As Daake reached in to unplug the machine, he lost two of his fingers and the top part of his thumb.
     "It was a mistake which could be made by anyone who doesn't stay alert. As a farmer, you have to be alert at all times," Daake said.
     The injury affected him for several years following.
     "For a few years, I would wake up in the middle of the night after having a dream of my whole hand being taken off," Daake said, "As a carpenter, I was fortunate that this injury happened to my right hand because the right hand is the power hand while the left hand provides the dexterity."
     Daake and farmers in general are no strangers to injury.
     "I think I've injured about every part of my body working on a farm," Daake said, "My elbow is about the only thing I haven't had looked at or operated on."
     A farmer has many responsibilities while performing their daily routines. These may include working with machinery, taking care of the crops or keeping an eye on the animals. All of these may lead to a considerable amount of stress. Even though this can be a stressful job, those working in agriculture must make sure of what they are doing.
     "Even with all the safety features that machines these days have, there's still a lot of room for accidents. Farming is a very dangerous job. You have to be alert at all times," Daake said, "The machines we use are all man-made and do not have a brain of their own. In order to use them properly, we have to be smarter than the machines you use."