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Come Together – Partnerships emerge for farmworkers

The Migrant Clinicians Network were recently published in the American Journal of Public Health (AJPH) for their commentary on Farmworkers and COVID-19: Community-Based Partnerships to Address Health and Safety. The article summarized food and farm workers’ occupational barriers to health before COVID-19, and the lack of protection from government and employers, that left them vulnerable to COVID-19 outbreaks despite their essential worker status. …

Stressed out with Drought

Researchers in occupational health have published a paper on the association between drought conditions and stress among U.S. farmers. UMASH colleagues in affiliated NIOSH centers, the University of Minnesota School of Public Health and ISciences, studied the occupational psychosocial stress among farmers in the midwest …

COVID-19 Awareness and Preparedness

August 2021 Dr. Jeff Bender was a featured virtual presenter at the Wisconsin Farmworkers Coalition meeting, organized by Legal Action Wisconsin.  Jeff gave a short presentation on Friday, Aug. 20, 2021 of the producers’ survey paper, COVID-19 Awareness and Preparedness of Minnesota and Wisconsin Dairy Farms.  The survey found dairy farmers support …

Reaching Across Regions at MN Farmfest

The Upper Midwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center (UMASH) added farm safety and health to the agenda at MN Farmfest 2021. Collaborating with our partners, UMASH and exhibitors reached farmers from all across Minnesota, providing key information and resources to keep farmers and their families safe, healthy, and injury free! …

People First for Healthy Agriculture: Dairy Girl Network

UMASH’s Megan Schossow presented People First for Healthy Agriculture: Managing Risk, and talked about an applied and practical approach to farm safety and health, while focusing on the Dairy Dozen, which are the 12 safety concerns on dairy farms. …

Here’s to Health: Summer Field Day 2021

All farms - big, small, organic, hobby, produce - are gearing up for a healthy harvest. UMASH provided resources and information including handwashing, infectious disease, agritourism and more. Jeff Bender was a featured speaker on Infectious Disease and drew attention to the potential risks of zoonotic disease particularly with visitors to the farm. …

Being Cooperative

July 2021 On July 14, 2021, The Minnesota Agriculture Cooperative Safety Directors (ACSD) met for their quarterly meeting in Spicer, Minnesota. This group seeks speakers to talk about safety issues in the agricultural industry, where they also review issues emerging in their businesses, innovations taking place, and share upcoming events, trainings, …

Rural Resiliency Redefined

July 2021 Farm shows are starting to make their comeback into our agricultural communities, and Farm Technology Days was hosted in-person in Eau Claire, Wisconsin at Huntsinger Farms. Farm Technology Days is the largest agricultural show in Wisconsin, and it served as an opportunity for UMASH to exhibit and have conversations about stress in agriculture …

Hello, We’re ISASH

JUNE 2021 The annual meeting of the International Society of Agricultural Safety and Health was held the week of June 21, 2021, via Zoom.  This international conference provides an excellent opportunity for staff development and the chance to network with other professionals to share ideas, resources and research for the betterment of occupational …