Wednesday, February 1, 2012

The Labor Department has agreed to modify a plan that's intended to keep children away from some of the most dangerous farm jobs.

The proposal will now have broader exemptions for children whose parents own or operate farms, or have a substantial interest in a farm partnership or corporation.

Farm groups had complained that the rules would upset traditions where children often work alongside their parents and relatives to learn how a farm operates.

The rules would ban children under 16 from using most power-driven equipment and prevent those under 18 from working in feed lots, grain bins and stockyards.