Boone County's 14 elementary schools will each receive a farm safety book, a stuffed dog and classroom lesson plans starting Sept. 21.

The kits are part of Kentucky's All in for Ag Education Week, which runs Sept. 21–25 and coincides with National Farm Safety and Health Week. More than 700 public elementary schools statewide will get the materials, the Northern Kentucky Tribune reported.

Each kit includes a copy of "Farm Adventures with Willie B.," a stuffed Willie B. dog and literacy lessons for kindergarten through fifth grade. The picture book follows Willie B., an Australian Cattle dog, and a character called Farmer Dale through a day of chores, fishing and a picnic. Along the way, Willie B. teaches friends how to stay safe on the farm.

Agriculture Commissioner Jonathan Shell said a good dog and a good story may be the best way to get a child's attention. He said the book can teach students about Kentucky agriculture and how to stay safe around farms.

The initiative is a collaboration among Shell, Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman and Education Commissioner Robbie Fletcher. Murray State University agriculture professor Brian Hoover and agronomist Emily Schell wrote the book. Ashley Schell Fowler illustrated it. The Kentucky Department of Agriculture, its Raising Hope program and Farm Credit Mid-America funded the materials.

Farmer Dale is based on the late Dale Dobson, who directed the KDA's Farm Safety and Rural Health Division. Dobson died in July and was nationally recognized for decades of work protecting Kentucky farm families.

"This book is a simple story presented in a simple way with a potential lifesaving and life-changing impact," Hoover said.

Agriculture is the most dangerous sector in America, with 417 fatalities recorded in 2022, according to the National Education Center for Agricultural Safety. The annual observance has been proclaimed by every U.S. president since 1944.