SEPTEMBER 2023
For the third year, UMASH and Dr. Troy McKay’s agricultural communications course created short one-minute health and safety videos, sometimes known as public service announcements (PSAs). We at UMASH partner with Dr. McKay to hold a PSA contest for the students in Advanced Video Production for Agriculture, Food and the Environment (AECM 4432), an Agricultural Education, Communications and Marketing course offered through the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences (CFANS) at the University of Minnesota.
The video project and contest were integrated into the course curriculum, and reviewers from UMASH scored submitted PSAs based on video quality, research-based information, content organization, and how much the content was tailored toward their target audiences. Topics included ATV safety, farm vehicle safety, cold weather safety, needle safety, animal handling safety, and mental health. Students can use the videos in many ways, including as submissions for other contests, additions to their job portfolios, and components of capstone projects.
“I think this is a great way to learn about agricultural health and safety and spread awareness to others!”
“I think this is a great way to learn about agricultural health and safety and spread awareness to others!”
Thank you to Dr. Troy McKay for working with us at UMASH and bringing these important health and safety topics to light through his class.
2023 Winning PSAs
Farm Vehicle Safety
Emmanuel Chavira Rodriguez
Emmanuel graduated from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities in May 2023 in Agricultural Communication and Marketing and is passionate about digital media production. He became involved in agriculture through his work with the agribusiness company Riverview, LLP, where he produces content for safety training, animal care training, promotion, recruitment, and education.
Congratulations, Emmanuel!
ATV Safety
Heidi Hoffman
Heidi graduated from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities in May of 2023 with majors in Agricultural Communication and Marketing & Animal Science. Heidi works as a Digital Advertising Operations Specialist at Precision Reach, a division of Farm Journal. She grew up in the heart of agriculture on a hog and crop farm in New Ulm, MN. Heidi has had the opportunity to be surrounded by many admirable farmers throughout her life, and each inspired her to continue making an impact in agriculture even after moving off her family farm.
Congratulations, Heidi!