Well-known Cavan farmer and social media sensation, Adrian Morris, has spoken to Northern Sound about the importance of making the issue of farm safety "real" for his fans. In the past few years, the Cootehill farmer has become something of an accidental social media influencer.
Adrian has almost 100,000 followers for the weekly videos he posts from his family farm on his "I Farm, We Farm" You Tube Channel. There is nothing accidental about the way he shows himself carrying out daily tasks on his family farm, though. Speaking to a group of TY students attending a week-long media course at Northern Sound just ahead of national Farm Safety Week, Adrian said over the years, he has been involved in several farm accidents and still carries injuries from some of them to this day.
So when he creates a video of himself repairing a roof, jumping on his quad, or using power tools, viewers will also be talked through the safe way to go about all these farm jobs. Adrian Morris was speaking in the same week the government introduced a new law compelling farmers to wear helmets and undergo safety training before driving a quad. He said unlike so many of the safety courses that farmers have to attend, his videos show real life risks and prevention measures in everyday situations.
"There is a young audience watching," Adrian explained, "And some of them want to do what what you're doing so whether that's it's using power tools or moving cattle. So, you have to be careful to show the thing being done as safely as you can . You want to be a good influence rather than a bad one," he added, "So, if they see me throwing a helmet on when I'm going on the quad then, maybe they'll think to themselves it's cool for me to do the same".
The full interview with Adrian Morris of "I Farm, We Farm" by local TY students will air this Sunday night, 26th November from 6pm on Northern Sound.
