What’s today’s fashionable farmer wearing to work?

If you guessed any of the high fashions featured in GQ, Vanity Fair or Esquire, guess again.

Looking good is great when you go to town but safety and comfort are more important when dressing for farm chores.

Let’s begin with the head, after all that’s where thinking about safety should start.

Head injuries are common on the farm and tend to be serious. When doing work that may involve head hazards, trade your comfy ball cap for a hard hat.

When you’re spraying chemicals overhead, wear a wide-brimmed hat that is impervious to liquids. Make sure the brim is wide enough to keep chemical spray from drifting down on the back of your neck or face.

Eyes have been called the “window to the soul” but just like all windows they can break if something is hurled, splashed or sprayed into them.

Safety goggles and sunglasses should be just as much a part of your daily garb as a good pair of steel-toed shoes. Sunglasses are important because they lessen eye fatigue after long hours in the bright summer sun.

While many people consider the farm and rural America a place of quiet tranquility, many farmers experience hearing loss.

As a general rule, whenever the noise level reaches 85 decibels, farmers should reach for ear protection. While farmers don’t carry testing equipment to measure decibel level, they should wear protection when in doubt as to the noise level.

Ear covers are preferable to ear plugs because the latter can cause compaction of ear wax that is difficult to remove.

While they may be more comfortable, avoid wearing loose fitting clothes. If you plan to stay in the sun most of the day, wear long-sleeved cotton clothing. Natural fibers allow the skin to breathe and offer protection from the sun’s harmful rays.

Avoid wearing sweats with long drawstrings that hand from the waist or around the neck. These strings are made of extremely strong nylon or other artificial fibers. Such fibers don’t rip or tear as easily as clothing like cotton. It’s easy for dangling strings to catch in augers or other moving parts.

Shoes and boots can provide foot protection and good traction. Make certain your shoes are clean of mud and manure that can cause slipping and falls.

Good fit is important for both daylong comfort and stability. When spraying chemicals, wear waterproof or impervious footwear that won’t absorb chemicals.

Rings hang up on bolts, sharp corners – just about anything you find around a farmstead. Always remove rings and other loose-fitting jewelry. If you fail

WASHINGTON (AP) — Michelle Obama is going a little bit country.

The first lady’s office says she’ll appear on the May 7 episode of the ABC country music drama “Nashville.”

The episode is titled “All Or Nothing With Me” and is set at Fort Campbell.

Mrs. Obama and the wife of Vice President Joe Biden, Jill Biden, are scheduled to the visit Army base in Kentucky on Wednesday to address a jobs summit and career forum for service members, veterans and their spouses. The appearance is for the third anniversary of their nationwide initiative to support military families, called Joining Forces.

The first lady’s appearance on “Nashville,” by video, is also for Joining Forces.

Mrs. Obama is already set to appear on Thursday’s season finale of the NBC hit “Parks and Recreation.”

 

JEFFERSON CITY (AP) – Missouri lawmakers are moving to put more of the state’s money where their mouths are in supporting preschool and early childhood programs.

House members this past week passed legislation that would allow public schools to begin counting some children attending early childhood education programs toward the basic state funding they receive. The measure is heading to the Senate where lawmakers have debated their own proposal.

Under the House measure, districts could count preschool students eligible for free and reduced price lunch. Unaccredited districts would have the option next school year, and those that are provisionally accredited could start in 2015-2016. Accredited districts would need to wait until Missouri’s school formula is fully funded.

Supporters say preschool can prevent children from falling behind early.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.) issued the following statement in response to the Obama Administration’s announcement today that it will extend the government comment period and further delay the Keystone XL Pipeline:

“Once again, the Obama Administration is playing politics with American jobs and our nation’s energy security by delaying this shovel-ready project. The Keystone XL Pipeline would help reduce our dependence on foreign oil and create thousands of American jobs immediately. It’s appalling that the Obama Administration would continue blocking this project – especially as so many Americans are still searching for good-paying jobs thanks to the president’s policies.”

Blunt has co-sponsored bipartisan legislation to authorize the construction and operation of the Keystone XL Pipeline.

MARCIA DUNN, AP Aerospace Writer

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The first out-of-this-world humanoid robot is finally getting its space legs.

For three years, Robonaut has had to manage from the waist up at the International Space Station. This new pair of legs means the experimental robot won’t be stuck on a pedestal and can go mobile.

The robot’s legs are packed aboard a SpaceX supply ship that launched Friday, more than a month late. The cargo arrives on Easter Sunday morning.

It’s the next big step in NASA’s quest to develop robotic helpers for astronauts. With legs, the 8-foot Robonaut will be able to climb throughout the space station, performing mundane cleaning chores and fetching things for the human crew.

Each leg has seven joints. Instead of feet, there are grippers, each with a light, camera and sensor.

 

KANSAS CITY (AP) – Kansas City police say a man was found shot to death in a car where officers also found two children, one of whom was seriously wounded.

Police say officers were called Friday night to a gas station, where they found a car with a black male in his mid-30s who had been shot to death. A 10-year- old boy in the vehicle also had been shot. A 5-year-old boy was found in the back seat of the car and was not injured.

Police say the injured child has been hospitalized in serious condition. The victims’ identities haven’t been released.

Police are searching for a suspect who was reported fleeing from the scene.

HIAWATHA—A Kansas man injured in Saturday morning crash in Brown County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a Dodge Ram truck driven by Brad L. Zimmerman, 29, Holton was northbound on U75 four miles south of Fairview when he lost control. The truck entered the ditch on the east side of U75 at 190th Road.

Zimmerman was transported to Hiawatha Hospital.

The KHP reported they did not have information on whether Zimmerman was properly restrained.

JEFFERSON CITY (AP) – Missouri Republicans have outlined a new approach to prevent federal agents from enforcing gun control laws the state considers to be infringements on gun rights.

Under the bill endorsed by a Senate committee, federal agents who enforce those laws would be banned from future service in any state or local law enforcement agency.

The change comes as House and Senate backers try to reach a compromise on the legislation that has been passed separately by each chamber. The current version is pending in the Senate.

Supporters say the measure would make federal agents think twice before enforcing a gun control law. But the new approach is unlikely to sway opponents of the measure, who still say it is unconstitutional because states cannot nullify federal laws.