“If somebody, a neighbor or friend, had gotten in the same accident, Landon would have been

advocating for change, and now I’ve got to do it for him. It’s my mission. It’ll help with the

grieving, knowing that, maybe we’re going to save lives from this, and his death won’t be in vain.

”– Michele Gran

Landon’sLegacy

20 hoLIday 2019 southernminngirlfriends.com

By Grace Brandt

(This is an excerpt from a story that ran in the Belle Plaine Herald on September 18.)

CONTINUES ON PAGE 22 u u u

ABOVE: Michele and David Gran along with their two sons Landon (right) and James (left).

PREVIOUS PAGE: Landon Gran loved restoring his 1978 Ford pickup.

A SEnAtOR’S PERSPEctIVEState Senator Rich Draheim said he is happy to carry a bill advocating for safer farming conditions into Minnesota’s next legislative session, calling it something Minnesotans “need to look at.”

“I just look back, and I know there’s been some suggestions before, from other groups, on grain bin safety,” he said, pointing out that other safety measures, such as roll-over bars, have been addressed in recent years. “The next progression in farm safety should be grain bins.”

Draheim said he is still looking into the best and safest way to move forward, adding that he hopes to spur discussion into the topic so that more ideas can come up.

“I’m going to keep an open mind,” he said. “By bringing the bill forward, hopefully we’ll bring the conversation to the forefront. I don’t know what’ll fly and what won’t, but I’m happy to bring [these ideas] forward, and hopefully have a robust discussion and bring some awareness to it, and hopefully have something passed. I just can’t imagine losing my 18-year-old son to a tragedy like this.”

While Draheim said he hopes to bring the bill to the next legislative session, he stressed that education is the most important aspect of all.

“We can pass all the laws in the world, but you’ve got to get the people who work on these farms, the farmers, to do it,” he said. “We have to educate the population on the hazards of grain bins. I think [this bill] could go on next session, and I’m going to make it a priority, but to make real change, you have to change the minds of people.”

On August 14, 18-year-old Landon Gran left his family hog farm to help a neighbor clear out his grain bin. It was so rou-tine for this farm-ing family that his mother, Michele

Gran, didn’t even think about it. But that day, tragedy struck. Landon was hit by a sweep auger while working in the bin. He had been left alone in the bin, and he died before emergency personnel could rescue him. “I miss him so badly,” Michele Gran said. “This is so crazy that this happened… so senseless. This hurts like hell. No family should ever have to go through this.” Now, Gran is advocating for new farm safety

legislation called “Landon’s Law,” which she hopes will prevent similar accidents in the future. “If somebody, a neighbor or friend, had gotten in the same accident, Landon would have been advocating for change, and now I’ve got to do it for him,” she said. “It’s my mission. It’ll help with the grieving, knowing that, maybe, we’re going to save some lives from this, and his death won’t be in vain.”

A beloved son A rising senior at St. Peter High School, Landon Gran was an active member of the school’s FFA and a member of the school trapshooting team, qualifying for a national tournament. His best friend was his little brother, James. One of his favorite hobbies was restoring his 1978 Ford pickup—though he barely had a chance to drive it

hoLIday 2019 southernminngirlfriends.com 21

22 hoLIday 2019 southernminngirlfriends.com hoLIday 2019 southernminngirlfriends.com 23

before the fatal accident. According to Michele Gran, her son was always the first to stand up for people who needed help. “Landon was a red, white and blue guy,” she said. “He had a rough exterior, but when you came down to somebody in trouble, I got many messages from mothers who said he saved their child from bullies. In the playground [and] the locker room, he was the one who stood up for the underdog. He was a good, good kid.” Landon planned to go to South Central College to study agribusiness and agriculture equipment maintenance, with a future goal of helping his father run the family farm. “He made a difference in this world, and he would’ve made a difference,” Gran said.

Pushing forward According to Gran, something needs to be done to improve agricultural safety for Minnesota farmers. And since no one else has stepped up, she’s doing it herself. “It just makes me angry that with all the deaths that have hap-pened that nobody else has done anything else to do this, because then maybe Landon would have had a chance,” she said. “Landon’s Law” includes the push for more safety measures on farm equipment, such as a whole basket over sweep augers so that farmers can’t fall into the machinery. In addition, Gran is advocating for interior ladders and wearable remote auger shut-off devices. Gran said she is hoping for federal or state funding to be made available to farmers so that they can implement these safety measures. She also suggested that insurance providers raise farmers’ rates if they don’t comply with new safety standards.

“It’s also [about] getting the older generation to comply, [since] they’re so stuck in their ways,” she said. “They haven’t gotten hurt so far, [so] a lot of them say they’ll take their chanc-es. But we can’t do that. There’s older farmers, younger farmers, mothers, kids… Everybody is susceptible to those injuries. Every one of them is a dagger to my heart again, and I’ve got to do something as a mother.”

Working together Gran spoke in front of the Nicollet County Farm Bureau during its annual meeting on September 14, and she said the plan is to bring it forward as one of the topics at the Minnesota Farm Bureau’s yearly meeting in November. She has also begun talking with local lawmakers such as state senator Rich Dra-heim. “They’re very receptive,” Gran said. “Especially with four deaths in a month, and one that just narrowly got out alive, it’s just something that needs to be done. I don’t understand why it hasn’t been done. Why is farming the number-one most dangerous oc-cupation to be in? Why wouldn’t we do whatever we could to ensure [our families’] safety?” In addition to working with local lawmakers, Gran met with an engineer to learn more about the possibility to creating wear-able remote shut-off devices. She said that the engineer said the device is doable and just needs enough funding. Gran said she is committed to seeing this process through and firm about standing up for her son’s legacy. “They said something about how I might have to change Landon’s Law [to a different name], but I’m not willing to do that,” she said. “There were so many other deaths before Landon. Why didn’t somebody take the bull by the horns and do something about it? It took

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 21

tOP: Landon Gran loved to hunt.ABOVE: Landon with his parents David and Michele and brother James.

22 hoLIday 2019 southernminngirlfriends.com hoLIday 2019 southernminngirlfriends.com 23

Child and Teen Checkups

Child and TeenCheckups Program

Call if you need help with transportation, interpreters or making an appointment.

STEELE COUNTYPUBLIC HEALTH507-444-7650

een CheckupsTChild and een CheckupsTChild and

Give them thegreatest gift of all,

good health!

RICE COUNTYPUBLIC HEALTH507-332-6111

een CheckupsTChild and een CheckupsTChild and Child and Teen Checkups are available to children from birth through age 20

who are covered by Minnesota Health Care programs

• Medical Assistance• Blue Plus

• South Country Health Alliance• U Care

his death for it to be recognized, and I think it should be something he should be recognized for.” But for her, the biggest concern is simply keep-ing people safe. “I’m doing this not only for Landon’s memory; I’m doing this for all the farmers out there so we don’t have to have these senseless deaths,” she said. “This is crazy. The amount of heartache that is involved with something like this that could have been prohibited. We’ve just got to do something.”

Grace Brandt is a wandering reporter whose home base is Mankato.

Landon Gran on the left with his best friend and brother James Gran.