We know the leading cause of death on farms – tractor rollovers. Yet many tractors across the United States are not equipped with rollover protection structures, or ROPS.

A ROPS, when used with a seatbelt, is 99 percent effective in preventing injury or death in the event of an overturn. ROPS did not become standard on U.S.-manufactured tractors until 1985. Many older tractors do not have these safety features.

ROPS installation rebate programs

There are rebate programs available if you want to install a ROPS on your tractor. For example, the National Farm Medicine Center’s Wisconsin ROPS Rebate Program recently increased its reimbursement limit so that no farmer pays more than $500 out-of-pocket to retrofit their tractor, no matter the total cost of the retrofit.

View this video to learn why ROPS are important, and what could happen without a ROPS installed on your tractor.

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