COVID-19 is threatening agricultural communities on many fronts. This is a discussion among rural health and safety professionals, Ag commodity associations, NPOs, government agencies, academia and the agricultural community. The goal of these weekly think tanks was to identify risks that farmers, farm workers and ranchers face as it related to COVID-19. This is whereRead More
Summary: Rural veterans are a unique population with a health profile distinguished by a complex multitude of experiences. Come learn more about veteran farmers and how military service culture, gender, deployment experiences, and generational differences impact their total health and wellness. Explore how to better respond to the health care needs of veteran farmers byRead More
Summary: COVID-19 adds new uncertainties to farming on top of a five-year or longer economic recession in most sectors of agriculture. Like climate shifts, tariffs, and disease outbreaks in crops and livestock, COVID-19 is largely beyond the control of agricultural producers. Importantly however, we can mostly control how we behave. Agricultural producers will learn howRead More
Summary: The dairy industry has been struggling with low milk prices, infrastructure problems, trade issues, and isolation for several years. Small family farms have been going out of business faster than any time in recent history and even milk cooperatives that buy milk from the farms have claimed bankruptcy. At the start of 2020, the endRead More
Summary: Farming is a livelihood and a tradition for many families. It has its rewards, but also its unique risks and pressures. Those may stem from the markets, the weather, financial arrangements, family, neighbors, government regulations and more. Conflicts that arise when farming and its support systems fail to mesh add to the stress. How farmersRead More
Summary: The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention now identifies sleep deficiency as a public health problem. Sleep affects every moment of our daily lives, from how we think and remember to how our bodies thrive or deteriorate. It determines how we deal with stress, make choices related to safety, and function as humanRead More
Thirty-six percent of the 3.4 million producers counted in the census are women. Education will focus on all women including farmworker women and their employers on reporting violent incidents to authorities, making employees aware of their legal rights, safe work practices, medical referrals, treatment, and options including counseling if needed. Intended Audience: This training isRead More
This Hazard Communication Standard training program is intended for female workers and managers in the agricultural industry. This includes dairy farms and small farms that hire at-risk populations. The major focus of the program is on the identification of and the safe usage of chemicals and pesticides, along with respiratory protection. At the conclusion ofRead More
Summary Respiratory PPE fit testing helps assure the best protection against dangerous airborne particles. Agricultural workers face a myriad of challenges in obtaining a proper fit test and who can provide this service. Additionally, there are gray areas of misunderstanding about the fit testing mandates in certain agricultural populations. Intended Audience: Agricultural workers, including womenRead More
Summary: In rural communities, the stigma associated with mental distress is hard to confront. Rural agricultural residents pride themselves as hard-working and dedicated to the land. These characteristics are sometimes in direct conflict with asking for help and self-care, leaving those around them at a loss for words and action. This presentation attempts to use theRead More
Summary: Disaster recovery can be as dangerous as the disaster itself, especially if no disaster preparedness plan was implemented. This is especially true on farms and ranches where inherent farm hazards such as machinery and equipment, livestock, and agriculture chemicals are displaced and co-mingle, putting all emergency response personnel, farm workers and family members in danger.Read More
Ag producers experience frequent exposure to high noise and have among the highest prevalence rates of hearing loss among all categories of workers. Additionally, noise exposure impacts multiple organ systems, contributing to cardiovascular disease, hypertension, obesity, and other highly prevalent diseases. Although the effects of noise can be mitigated through use of hearing protection andRead More