Part of our annual series for Canadian Agricultural Safety Week
INDIAN MOUNTAIN—Hindsight says getting into a pen with a young bull isn’t the best course of action, admits Indian Mountain farmer Roy Bayer. But the old saying, “familiarity breeds contempt” played a big part in his suffering a broken collarbone last year while doing just that.
“I didn’t think much of it,” said Mr. Bayer, who had often encouraged his animals to get into the head gate. “It was a big cattle beast,” he recalled. “A male, around 750 to 800 pounds, and I guess he was pretty worked up.”
As he was pushing the animal towards the head gate Mr. Bayer found himself pinned against the gate. “I should not have got in at all,” he admits ruefully. “He had been in a smaller pen for hours and he was worked up.” He said he considers himself lucky, all things considered. “It could have been a lot worse.” Bulls are statistically more likely to be involved in a fatal farm animal-related injury.
| Read our other stories for 2025’s annual Canadian Agricultural Safety Week: |
| • The weight of the harvest: mental health in Canadian agriculture • Gordon farmer recounts harrowing tale of being struck on his tractor |
Part of the issue, common to many farms whose operators have been at it all their lives, sometimes for generations, is that the farm equipment (in this case pens) have not kept up with the times.
“I think that is probably the case with a lot of the older farms around here,” he said. “The newer equipment keeps you right out of the way. When you are younger, and quicker, you did it that way. I really should have known better.”
“When he pushed me up against the side boards my collar bone broke,” said Mr. Bayer.
No good deed goes unpunished. The veteran cattle farmer was actually helping out a neighbour when the accident occurred. “He felt really bad about it,” said Mr. Bayer.
As neighbours are wont to do in farm country, his neighbour stepped up with a load of firewood while Mr. Bayer was laid up.
“That’s what neighbours do,” said Mr. Bayer. “He would have helped out with anything I needed.”
Studies have shown that cattle-related injuries are a serious concern on farms, with fatalities and injuries resulting from kicking, charging, stomping and crushing leading to blunt and sharp force trauma to various body parts being often under-reported in a hospital context.
Kicking is the most common injury resulting from working with cattle, especially to the legs and lower extremities. Farmers are taught from youth to avoid the “kick zone” at all costs. But there are plenty of other ways to get hurt when dealing with such large animals. Charging/head-butting can cause severe head trauma and internal injuries, as can trampling which may result in crushing injuries and internal damage, not to mention goring, from those animals that have not been dehorned, which can cause severe lacerations and damage to internal organs.”
Cattle can be unpredictable and even seemingly docile but can become aggressive if injured, stressed or provoked and a small number of people are killed every year by these animals. Most of those deaths are not farmers, however. Those fatalities are far more likely to walkers, joggers or cyclists who have entered pastures. So, word to the wise to those seeking a cow-related selfie, stay behind the fence! These are not pets.
As for the culprit in Mr. Bayer’s injury, that former male cattle beast now identifies as a steer.
