The number of Indiana farm fatalities rose 87% last year, reaching its highest level in five years, according to a report recently released by the Purdue University Agricultural Safety and Health Program.

The “2024 Indiana Farm Fatality Summary with Historical Overview” was released Sept. 1. The report has been produced annually since 1966. While Purdue said the report cannot be considered comprehensive since not all farm-related deaths are reported as such, its intention is “to make the public aware that our food comes at a cost of lives, health, and well-being that is not necessarily reflected in the prices we pay at the grocery store or farmer’s market,” the report says.

In 2024, there were 28 reported fatalities. These included three victims under the age of 18 and 16 victims aged 60 and older.

“Incidents involving individuals in these two age groups now make up 67% of all documented cases,” the report said.

Tractors continue to be the most common cause of farm-related fatalities, accounting for as many as 38% of all documented cases in the last 10 years, with 12 reported cases in 2024. Throughout the last six decades, tractor overturns have consistently been the primary contributor to fatalities in farm-related incidents, even though Rollover Protection Structures (ROPS) have been mandatory on new tractors since 1985.

The average age of all victims was 57.6 years – higher than the current average age of Indiana farmers, which is 55.5.

Findings suggest that over the past decade, specific causes for these fatalities have grown more diverse. Key hazards, according to an analysis of the data by Purdue, include the use of older tractors without ROPS and self-propelled mowers on steep slopes; tree felling and working in wooded areas; working with livestock such as horses and bulls; and carrying extra riders on equipment.

The 2024 Indiana Farm Fatality summary was compiled by Purdue’s Agricultural Safety and Health Program from a variety of sources, including published news reports, web searches, voluntary reporting from Extension educators and others and voluntary feedback from witnesses, family or emergency first responders.