SHERBURNE – State Senator James Seward (R/C/I-Oneonta) paid visit to a Sherburne farm on Tuesday to tout a safety initiative that he says is a life-saving measure for both farmers and New York’s economy.

Marking the start of National Farm Safety and Health Week, Seward announced funding for the ninth round of the New York Rollover Protection System (ROPS) program, a highly successful program that rebates farmers who retrofit an older model tractor with a rollover protection system.

The ROPS program rebates farmers 70 percent of the cost of purchasing and installing a roll bar system up to a max out-of-pocket cost of $500. If the cost to a farmer is greater than $500, then the New York Center for Agricultural Medicine and Health (NYCAMH) will increase the rebate.

“Anything that can be done to help our farmers deal with the financial burdens they face while at the same time improving farm safety has my strong support,” Seward said outside Sunny Slope Farm in Sherburne.

Rollover protection systems are factory installed on tractors built after 1985. Nevertheless, many farmers still rely on tractors that are older that don’t have any standard of protection in the event of a rollover.