The Wisconsin ROPS Rebate Program has announced new funding and a new reimbursement scheme limiting farmers’ out-of-pocket expenses to $500, no matter the total cost of purchasing, shipping and installing a rollover protective structure.
The rebate program is run by the National Farm Medicine Center at Marshfield Clinic Research Institute. It is made possible through generous philanthropic support from the Auction of Champions. More than 340 ROPS have been installed through the program since its inception in 2013.
“We’re pleased to announce a recent increase in donor funding, which will enable us to start working through our wait list,” said Casper Bendixsen, Ph.D., director of the National Farm Medicine Center.
Tractor overturns are the leading cause of farm-related deaths in the U.S. That’s why it’s so important that each tractor have a ROPS. A ROPS, when used with a seatbelt, is 99 percent effective in preventing injury or death in the event of an overturn.
More than half the tractors in Wisconsin do not have this protection. ROPS did not become standard on U.S.-manufactured tractors until 1985.
Wisconsin tractor owners can register for the program via the hotline, 1-877-767-7748 (1-877-ROPSR4U), or the website.
