Special training in tractor and associated equipment operation can allow 14 and 15 year old youth to operate certain farm equipment that the youth otherwise can not legally work near or operate. However, if over 16 youth can work around or operate such equipment on the farm. Even though youth who are children of farmers are generally exempted from the Fair Labor Standards Act, special restrictions apply for those youth that are not family members, under 16 without training and/or under 14 even with training. Refer to the previous article in the July 2004 issue for more detail: http://www.ag.ohio-state.edu/~ohioagmanager/news/archive/2004/704.php#Labor
or go to the training module fact sheets provided by the National Safe Tractor and Machinery Operation Program: http://hosta.nsc.org/library/welcome.cfm , click under “task sheets” under Introduction then scroll down through first task sheet then hit next on bottom until get to task sheet 1.2.1
or go to the U.S. Department of Labor web page: http://www.dol.gov/dol/topic/youthlabor/index.htm