By Hub City Times staff

MARSHFIELD – A 60-year-old Pittsville area farmer has died after a fall from his silo, which officials say occurred Sept. 20 late in the afternoon.

Local advocates for farm safety say the man, Pete Petersen, was a huge supporter of farm safety, who made himself and his farm available for local farm education.

“Pete was always willing to make himself and his farm available for safety promotion and training done by the Farm Center, Pittsville Fire Department and others,” said Casper G. Bendixsen, of the National Farm Medicine Center. “His contributions have likely saved other farmers from injuries or worse.”

“Pete is going to be missed. His involvement with agricultural issues related to us – the fire department – has been phenomenal over the years. His whole family has been a huge department supporter and, they have supplied us with lots of opportunities training on their farm. To say he is going to be missed is an understatement,” said Pittsville Fire Chief Jerry Minor.

“While (Pete and his wife) are not a member of the (fire) department, it certainly feels like they are. Huge local family that has been here for decades. He is gonna be missed.”

Minor said his department was called to the Peterson farm just outside Pittsville at 4:30 p.m. on Sept. 20. He has no cause of the fall, and does not know the height from which Peterson fell. He fell from the inside shoot within the silo room. He was talking to paramedics as they arrived on scene, and died at the Marshfield Medical Center sometime later.

The accident comes during National Farm Safety Week.

“Farm injuries and fatalities are all-too-common tragedies,” added Bendixsen. “It’s an unfortunate truth that we work to address here at the National Farm Medicine Center. Fatalities are especially difficult when they occur so close to home. Our sympathies go out to Pete’s loved ones.”