Written By: Leah Chester-Davis
Corey Lutz has finished up the morning milking at his Lincoln County dairy, Piedmont Jerseys, and is hauling some calves to the livestock market in Shelby. His 220 registered Jerseys are grazing on fresh grass, part of the intensive rotational grazing system he has set up that seems to keep his cows happy and producing high quality milk.
Lincoln County Farmer Corey Lutz Advises Slowing Down to Stay Safe
Corey Lutz has finished up the morning milking at his Lincoln County dairy, Piedmont Jerseys, and is hauling some calves to the livestock market in Shelby. His 220 registered Jerseys are grazing on fresh grass, part of the intensive rotational grazing system he has set up that seems to keep his cows happy and producing high quality milk.
“We milk twice a day so every time after milking is done and they’ve eaten their grain up at the barn they go onto a fresh section of pasture,” explains Corey.
Piedmont Jerseys has a lane and paddock system that keeps the cows on fresh grass all the time rather than staying in the barn all day and feed being brought to them. “We try to size that paddock of grass to about what they are going to eat between those milkings.”
This fourth generation dairy farmer says that’s a big difference between his dairy and others. The cows have a routine. They know they will be fed grain in the barn so they are anxious to head that way come milking time. After the milking, the cows know they will be turned onto a pasture with fresh grass.
Corey is a leader in the dairy industry. He is the current president of the North Carolina Jersey Breeders Association and on the Board of Directors for the North Carolina Dairy Producers Association. He served several years on the Board of Directors of the American Jersey Cattle Association. He grew up on a dairy farm in neighboring Catawba County. It was there, when he was in his early 20s, that he experienced a farm accident that, miraculously, did not result in long-term injuries or problems.
The accident, however, changed Corey’s approach when it comes to farming. “People need to realize this stuff is dangerous and to be really careful and take your time and don’t take shortcuts.” He stresses farm safety to family members and to farm employees.
A Rough Landing in Fall from Silo
It was a warm June day, Corey recalls, and he was anxious to get his farm chores done so he and his buddies could head to the beach. His Dad’s dairy had what’s known as a concrete stave silo, an upright silo that extended about 60 feet into the air and was about 20 feet in diameter. Running up alongside the silo was a chute that was about 3 feet in diameter.
The silos would be filled with silage and a mechanized loader was positioned at the top to help feed it out. The chute, traversed by a ladder, had doors all along it to provide access to the silage as its level drops. It was Corey’s job to adjust the doors and it was a farm chore he’d done many times. But on that June day, as he moved one of the doors up, the door he was standing on broke. It was if he had stepped on a trap door that opened up. Before he could even realize what had happened, he was falling about 30 feet inside the shoot. That’s the equivalent of about a three-story building.
Corey frantically tried to use his arms to grasp the sides of the chute and slow his descent. He knew an augur was below him, a threatening giant screw blade that fortunately was not running when Corey hit it. The augur had supports that were used to raise and lower it and that included a three-quarter-inch threaded bolt that was about 6- to 8-inches long that stuck up out of it. When Corey landed the bolt went through his hip. His head hit a piece of plywood before it hit the augur and while he had a big gash in the back of his head, it didn’t penetrate further than the skin. “If I’d hit the augur first with my head I wouldn’t be here,” he says. He also broke a shoulder blade.
Fortunately, for Corey, he wasn’t alone on the farm as so many are when farm accidents happen. A farm worker had heard him holler as he fell. Corey passed out when he landed but by the time he came to the worker had somehow lifted him off the large bolt. Corey was unable to move his lower body at all. He was rushed to the hospital. He was there for four days. While there, he regained use of his legs, allaying fears he’d be paralyzed. “I’ve had no effects from it as far as long-term problems,” he says.
Corey’s Advice: Don’t Rush, Don’t Take Shortcuts
When Corey thinks about the close call, he knows how blessed he was that someone was nearby, and that he landed in the best way possible, albeit inches from certain disability or death.
As others who have experienced farm accidents, Corey learned a tremendous amount. “Number 1, I make sure all my employees take their time doing anything. Don’t get in a rush. I try to get them to always think about the worst case scenario and to try to avoid what might lead to that. Just be very careful,” he says.
“Keep equipment in good shape and PTO shields in place. Go over safety protocols with employees who are running equipment. Make sure they know what not to do, such as never servicing a piece of machinery with the tractor running,” he adds.
The advice is applicable to anyone, and especially to those with children or teens who may help out on the farm. “Make sure they realize that this stuff is dangerous. I was in a hurry and was trying to get everything done that I needed to do before I went to the beach. I didn’t take enough time, so I really stress that to my kids. Be careful, don’t rush, and don’t take shortcuts.”
In this Farm Safety series, farmers Sampson Parker, Cabarrus County, and Lewis Phipps, Alleghany County, also share their stories of farm accidents and survival.