BROOKINGS, S.D. — For South Dakota State University senior Jaiden Boomsma, tragedy struck when her younger brother, Jaxon, died in a farm incident. But in the years since, Jaiden and her family have transformed that pain into purpose, becoming advocates for farm safety and working to keep her brother's memory alive.

Jaxon, just 7 years old at the time of the incident, was riding on a tractor without a cab when he fell off while visiting their grandparents’ farm in Wessington, South Dakota. The Boomsmas, who live in Yankton, South Dakota, have a long tradition of spending holidays at the farm, and the tragic event happened in April 2017, just before the Easter holiday weekend.

“Jaxon loved to help with the chores on the farm, he liked to help my grandpa feed in the mornings. He also liked the sandbox that my grandma and grandpa had,” Jaiden said. “Other than that, it was really just about family time when we were there.”

Contributed / Boomsma Family

Together, the Boomsmas have channeled their grief into spreading awareness about the dangers that can happen on a farm, focusing on issues like tractor and grain bin safety. Jaiden's aunt, Mary, and her father, Troy, wrote and published a book designed to teach children how to stay safe on the farm. Jaiden was able to help write and review some of the pages and pictures included in the book along with her siblings, Callie and Carter.

The book emphasizes the dangers of farm equipment, such as the importance of tractors having safety cabs and proper seats for children. The book also touches on grain bin safety, animal handling, and appropriate clothing for farm work.

The Boomsma family made sure the book was as personal as possible; many of the animals and settings are based on their own experiences at their grandparents’ farm, where Jaxon spent so many happy hours riding four-wheelers, helping with chores, and playing with animals.

“He was one of the most bubbly people you'd ever meet. He had a smile that lit up any room that you'd go into, which is why our mission is to keep his smile alive,” Jaiden said. “Many of the pictures in the book are based directly off of our grandparents' farm. So, the whole entire book is very personal for us.”

In addition to writing the book, the Boomsmas have also been involved in farm safety outreach, visiting schools around South Dakota to present safety lessons to students.

After watching her father work through his grief by becoming an advocate for farm safety, Jaiden knew she wanted to get involved, too. Her goal is to educate young people about the hazards on farms, something she feels many kids don’t understand fully, even in farming communities.

“Living in the Midwest, obviously, farming is a huge deal for everybody. There's so many people that grew up on farms, or their grandparents live on farms, and not many kids understand the importance of farm safety,” Jaiden said. “So for us, spreading the awareness of farm safety and promoting it to children is so important because it's personal for us.”

Kennedy Tesch / Agweek

Jaiden, who is also a track and field athlete at SDSU competing in sprinting and long jump, is studying business economics with a minor in marketing. With her interest in marketing, she has taken the message online through social media where she shares her personal story and advocates for farm safety. Her posts share the emotional toll of losing a sibling and offer support to others who are grieving, especially those who have experienced similar losses.

“I wanted to post my personal story and how I've been affected, so I can not only promote farm safety, but be an outlet for other siblings who have grieved,” Jaiden said. “And I've noticed that's been a really big thing for me — being an outlet for sibling grief. I've noticed a lot of people go through that, and they don't talk about it enough.”

Through her social media presence, Jaiden has helped spread awareness of farm safety as well as the family’s book, leading to book orders from across the country.

“We've really been able to expand our reach for the amount of people that have seen our book, and it's pretty exciting to see that,” she said. “Social media has been a blessing for us, we've been able to reach a great audience across the United States. We've had people from various states order a book, and I thought that was pretty cool, being able to reach so many.”

Kennedy Tesch / Agweek

Despite the personal pain behind their mission, Jaiden and her family have found strength in their efforts to honor Jaxon. For Jaiden, her journey is focused on turning her pain into a purpose.

“Knowing that we've been able to help other people through farm safety, but also helping people share their stories of stuff that they've been through. I think that's been very beneficial for me, knowing that we've been able to be a source of happiness for some people. A lot of people have gone through farm accidents, they've gone through accidents in general. Knowing that you're not alone — it was really nice to know that we're an outlet for some people.”

Those interested in learning more about farm safety or supporting the Boomsma family’s mission can visit their social media pages: Instagram ( @keephissmilealive ), TikTok ( @jaidenboomer ), and Facebook ( Jaxon L. Boomsma Keep His Smile Alive Memorial ). While they are working on a website, book orders can currently be placed through direct messages on these platforms.