UNIVERSITY PARK – Farmers in PA can get state reimbursement to pay for retrofitting their older tractors with life-saving rollover-protection structures or ROPS. Tractor rollovers are the most frequent cause of death on farms. Seven out of ten farms go out of business within five years of a tractor overturn fatality. Roughly half of the tractors in the U.S. are unprotected. A Penn State program channels funds for the ROPS from a three year $250,000 grant from the PA Department of Community & Economic Development. ROPS are 99% effective in preventing injury or death in the event of a rollover if used with a seat belt. Farmers are eligible for a 70% reimbursement through the Penn State program for the average $1,200 cost of the ROPS, with a $500 cap on their out-of-pocket costs. Interested farmers should go to ropsr4u.org to learn more about the program, get on the waiting list, and be approved for funding. They can also email Peggy Newel at png1@psu.edu to request more information.
