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About the Center

THE UMASH VISION:
Healthy and safe people in all agricultural communities

The mission of the Upper Midwest Agricultural Health and Safety Center (UMASH) is to improve the health and safety of agricultural workers, owner-operators, and communities in the Upper Midwest.

We pursue this mission utilizing a multidisciplinary approach guided by One Health principles.  

Intended Impacts:

  • Improve agricultural practices and policies related to the health of workers and their families, with particular attention to agriculture;
  • Reduce the burden of injury, illness, and death among agricultural workers, owner-operators, and communities.

VIEW OUR BROCHURE

Learn more about UMASH and our mission to improve the health and safety of farmers, farm workers, their families and farm visitors through research, education, and prevention.

Available as a pdf download or online digital format.

PARTNERS IN EXCELLENCE

The Upper Midwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center (UMASH) is a collaboration of five leading research and health care institutions.

This collaboration brings together unique and complimentary expertise to address existing and emerging occupational health and safety issues in agriculture.

WHAT WE DO

GUIDING PRINCIPLES

  1. We believe all people, organizations, and diverse perspectives are important to our work.
  2. We embrace and promote a One Health approach to innovatively address existing and emerging challenges in human health, animal and plant health, and the health of the environment.
  3. We seek to understand how changes in agriculture, to meet an increasing global demand for food and fiber at affordable prices and produced in a sustainable manner, can impact agricultural workers and their families.
  4. We believe agricultural worker injury and illness and animal health are most effectively addressed when broad and diverse stakeholders are involved. We seek to engage producers, workers, agribusiness, academia, governmental agencies, and the agricultural community at large to promote dialogue and discussion through outreach and engagement.

ONE HEALTH

The One Health philosophy plays a key role in UMASH research, education, and prevention projects:

Zoonotic Diseases
Zoonotic diseases are caused by pathogens that are transmissible between humans and animals. What are they? How are they being transferred? How can they be prevented?

Production Practices
Changes in production practices that benefit animal health and well-being can impact worker health and safety and environmental impact.

Injuries, lost days of work, technology
Injuries and lost days of work place a financial burden on farmers and producers. Reducing injuries should be a farm business economic strategy.  Technology is being used to help clinicians and farmers get injured workers back on the job quicker.

Training
Culturally appropriate training curriculum has been developed and is being tested training immigrant dairy workers.
Training rural firefighters to deliver agricultural health and safety knowledge in their farm communities.

More One Health Resources

VIDEOS

Health and Safety on the Farm

We’re UMASH – the Upper Midwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center

Learn more about our center and mission.

One Health Explained

Because the environment, animals and people all affect each other, the One Health approach is an ideal model for addressing health and safety in agriculture workers.

KEY UMASH MATERIALS

UMASH is one of eleven Centers of Excellence in Agricultural Disease and Injury Research, Education, and Prevention funded by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) throughout the United States.  Funding is provided through a cooperative agreement from NIOSH, U54OH010170 (2009-2021).