March 4, 2025
Reminders & Tips for the KSRE Youth Tractor and Machinery Operations Program
As you prepare for your county’s Youth Tractor and Machinery Safety Training Program, keep these key reminders and tips in mind to ensure a successful event.
KSRE primarily utilizes the National Safe Tractor and Machinery Operation Program (NSTMOP) through Penn State Extension. This program was chosen because it meets U.S. Department of Labor and OSHA requirements while also providing instructor training and ongoing support. Additional partner programs include AgSafety4U and Gearing Up for Safety.
We encourage all county and district agents to offer this essential safety program to their communities. To become an instructor, visit the Instructor Resources webpage. There is a one-time $39 fee to Penn State. Upon completing the course, instructors receive a comprehensive teaching guide, lesson plans, a PowerPoint deck, annual updates, tests with answer keys, and more.
The Instructor Training focuses on course administration rather than instructional content, we recommend involving multiple presenters to provide diverse perspectives and expertise. First responders, implement dealers, mechanics, local farmers, and ag educators can all bring valuable insights to your program.
Additionally, we have gathered a wide range of supplemental materials to enhance student engagement. These resources help break up long lectures and allow students to explore topics of personal interest.
The USDOL requires 24 hours of instruction for the minimum core areas. This may take place over several sessions and can include group discussions, demonstrations, field trips to farms or equipment dealers, hands-on activities, videos, and the online study and testing, all in addition to the classroom instruction should meet the 24-hour requirement. We have reviewed this requirement with the university attorney and have been advised to meet all the requirements or not offer the training, for two reasons:
- If the program does not meet the minimum standards for certification, the university may be liable to any person that is certified who is injured in the operation of machinery to the extent the injury is caused by a lack of training;
- The university potentially could be misrepresenting to an employer that an individual is properly trained, when our program has not met required standards under the regulations. Furthermore, this could extend our liability to future employers of these individuals who have relied upon our certification in authorizing the person to operate machinery.
- There has been discussion in the past about the 10–14-hour courses, this only covers tractor operation training and it is not part of our program and cannot be certified under USDOL requirements.
- We continue to support allowing the employer of the student to administer the driving portion of the exam as long as the agent who is signing the certificate has either observed the test or can corroborate or verify that the student has passed, this should include a written verification from the employer.
Check out our updated website for the programs listed above and other materials that may fit in your Youth Tractor and Machinery training course, Youth Tractor and Machinery Safety Program. https://www.k-state.edu/kash/youth-safety/nstmop/nstmop.html.
Please send Tawnie Larson, tawnie@ksu.edu, the announcements for your training and the Registration or Master Score Sheet after your training. Contact Tawnie at tawnie@ksu.edu or 785-532-2976.