Farm Tractor Safety Certification Courses and Workshops
Tractor Safety Beginners Workshop (Non-Certificate Workshop)
Monday, September 28 from 2:30-6 p.m. at Rogers Demonstration Farm in Old Town (941 Bennoch Road, Old Town, ME)
Workshop Description: Designed specifically for new, hesitant, or aspiring operators, this University of Maine Cooperative Extension hands-on tractor workshop offers a supportive, low-pressure environment to build real confidence behind the wheel. We will practice key safety protocols; equipment basics; starting, stopping, steering, and operating a tractor around obstacles; and interactive activities to reinforce safety concepts and equipment hitching methods.
Our goal is to remove the intimidation factor from tractor operation. Guided by patient instructors, you’ll practice core skills at a comfortable pace alongside peers who are also starting fresh. You will leave with the foundational knowledge and hands-on experience needed to tackle farm tasks safely and independently. Participants must be 14 years old or older to drive the tractor. An assumption of risk document must be completed by the participant or a guardian prior to participation. There is no cost for the program, but a $15 donation is suggested.
*This in-person event does not fulfill DoE youth certification requirements for tractor operation.*
This work is supported by the Northeast Extension Risk Management project award no. 2024-70027-42540, from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
For more information, contact Caragh Fitzgerald, 207.949.5427, cfitzgerald@maine.edu. If reasonable accommodation is needed, please contact Brittany Williams, 207.622.7546, brittany.m.williams@maine.edu.
New! Tractor Safety: Foundations (Web-based Certificate Course)
Course Description: Interested in learning the ins and outs of operating tractors and agricultural equipment safely, from your own home? With the online Tractor Safety: Foundations course, you can start your own journey of learning about tractors and agricultural equipment, or expand on the knowledge you already have. Along with earning your very own digital badge, completion of this online course and additional components can fulfill the U.S. Department of Labor requirements for youth certification through the National Safe Tractor and Machinery Operation Program (NSTMOP).
Course Frequency: Tractor Safety: Foundations is a completely online asynchronous course, available to take whenever works best for your schedule.
Spring Tractor Safety Certification Course (In-Person Certificate Course)
Stay tuned for 2027 locations and dates!
Course Description: Participants will learn how to handle tractors and equipment safely, how to identify hazards, and how to minimize the chances of accidents. The course is open to all interested adults and youth. A Federal Certificate of Training will be issued at the end of the 5-week course after successful completion of the written test and driving course and with attendance requirements met. This certificate is required for 14 and 15 year olds who plan to operate farm equipment for hire on farms other than their own.
Course Frequency: The Tractor Safety Certification Course runs annually in the Spring. Information about 2027 courses will be posted on this page near the beginning of the year; you can also fill out the interest form at the bottom of this page to receive notifications about these courses.
Questions about these courses and workshops?
Contact Ava Sharpe at Extension.AgCumberland@maine.edu or 207.781.6099.
When courses are not in session, you can learn more about preventing tractor-related accidents by watching the Tractor Safety Video Training Series.
If you would like to be notified about future courses, please complete the interest list form below. *Filling out this form does not register you for a course.*
Farm Tractor Safety Interest List
Sign up to be included on the Farm Tractor Safety Interest List: