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SPOTLIGHT: Worker Protection Standard

Agricultural work is one of the most dangerous occupations in the US. In January 2017, those who work in this important industry were afforded stronger protections. On January 2nd, the first wave of revisions to the Worker Protection Standard (WPS) went into effect, aiming to minimize the adverse health effects of pesticide exposure. …

UMASH at Minnesota Farm Bureau Annual Meeting

UMASH exhibited at the annual meeting of the Minnesota Farm Bureau on November 18, 2016. It was a great opportunity to network with others in agriculture and to share our resources with people across the state. We were interested in learning more about the attendees’ knowledge and participation in agritourism and found that nearly all we asked …

UMASH at 2015 Midwest Regional Agricultural Safety and Health (MRASH) Conference

On November 17-18, 2015 UMASH participated in the Midwest Regional Agricultural Safety and Health Conference, held at Decorah, Iowa. This conference included agricultural producers, researchers and other safety and health professionals. UMASH personnel attending included: Joni Sheftel, with a Keynote presentation on “What Can We Learn From the Avian …

UMASH at 2016 MRASH Conference

Jessica Evanson, a second year veterinary public health and preventive medicine resident at the University of Minnesota, presented findings at the 2016 MRASH conference in Sioux Center, Iowa on November 15, 2016. Her oral presentation titled, “A summary of injuries reported at swine production companies”, focused on the burden that animal …

SPOTLIGHT: Ag Injury News Clippings Database

AgInjuryNews.org is a great resource to monitor injury and fatality trends. These are not official numbers, but are gleaned from news reports across the U.S. Developed by staff at the National Children’s Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety (NCCRAHS) in 2015, this web-based tool compiles newspaper articles through a combination of Google alerts, review of media clippings and verified personal submissions. …

AGRI Livestock Investment Grant

mdalogoThe Minnesota Department of Agriculture is accepting applications for the AGRI Livestock Investment Grant Program.

Qualifying producers would be reimbursed ten percent of the first $500,000 of investment, with a minimum investment of $4,000. Qualifying expenditures include the purchase, construction, or improvement of buildings or facilities for the production of livestock, and the purchase of fencing as well as feeding and waste management equipment. Producers who suffered a loss due to a natural disaster or unintended consequence may also apply. The grant will not pay for livestock or land purchases or for the cost of debt refinancing.  Safety improvements would be an appropriate use of grant funding, as long as they are livestock related.

Application Deadline: December 16, 2016

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SPOTLIGHT: An Ode to Research Participants

I recently had the privilege to organize an event acknowledging the efforts of participants in our Hispanic worker training research project. We had asked farmers and workers to perform a year’s worth of activities that we think may increase the health and safety on their farms. We’re almost done collecting data, and the preliminary results are promising. …

UMASH at the 2016 National FFA Convention

More than 60,000 students, advisors, FFA alumni and exhibitors gathered in Indianapolis, IN, October 19-22, 2016 for the 89th National FFA Convention and Expo. Materials shared with students and advisors included good stockmanship video information, agritourism health and safety, needlestick safety and U.S. Ag Center Safety and Health video information. …

SPOTLIGHT: Seguridad – Translating Research to Practice

OCTOBER 2016 Have you ever changed your behavior because of a research study you came across on the radio or in a magazine? Perhaps you you started an exercise program to control weight to prevent diabetes. Research is translated into practice when scientific discoveries are pushed out into the real world for communities, individuals, and organizations …