CORNING — Third-grade students from Albert Lea and the surrounding areas got a chance to learn about farm safety during a farm tour.

The 23rd annual Third Grade Farm Tours, sponsored by the Albert Lea-Freeborn County Chamber of Commerce, took place throughout the day Wednesday and today. Students got to visit a potato farm, hog farm and dairy farm.

The students’ visit to the hog farm also taught them about safety with some farm equipment used for harvesting corn.

Kiven Lukes, who owns hogs at Gary Braaten’s farm a half mile south of tiny Corning, spoke to the third-graders about the importance of staying safe around combines and tractors.

Combines — which reap, thresh and winnow the grain — are valuable to farmers during fall harvest. However, they can be dangerous, Lukes said.

Lukes said he explained how a combine works to the students and that there are many moving parts inside of the machinery.

He stressed that he tried to teach the kids about safety by explaining, rather than just telling them not to play on the machinery.

Lukes told them why there are guards in place on combines to keep operators safe, as well as stressed farm machinery is not a toy to be played on.

He talked to the children about tractors. He said how tractors are used with different implements to do work on the farm.

One student asked if it would be possible to ride on the back of a tractor. Lukes said he didn’t recommend that, as one could fall off the tractor and underneath the trailing implement.

Even for people who don’t live on a farm, Lukes said knowing about farm equipment safety is important. He said some people will more than likely visit a farm that has this type of machinery.

Lukes hoped the students gained a respect for farm machinery and learned how to stay safe around it.

By explaining, versus just telling students not to do something, the students are more likely to understand and to buy into an idea, Lukes said.

At the other two stops, third-graders got a chance to see calves and a milking machine as well as a shop where potatoes are processed after harvesting.