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SPOTLIGHT: Being essential – What does that mean for dairy farms?

APRIL 2021 Essential: [noun] Something necessary, indispensable, or unavoidable Since COVID-19 arrived a year ago, the word essential has become a common term, particularly with CDC guidance, defining certain occupations and people as essential workers. In March 2020, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security declared agriculture, including the dairy …

SPOTLIGHT: A Season of Patience, Preparations, and Precautions

APRIL 2021 Spring is a welcomed time of year, a reminder of renewed hope. For agricultural communities, however, spring also means a busy season and new hazards on the farm. In the following article, recently published in The Augusta Chronicle, Marion Barnes and Brittany Flowers of Clemson University County Extension discuss key ways to prevent injury …

SPOTLIGHT: Female Farmers stress resiliency survey

APRIL 2021 Women in agriculture are encouraged to take the Weathering Stress in Agriculture 2021 Questionnaire, an anonymous online survey created by UMASH, the University of Minnesota Extension-Women in Ag Network, American Agri-Women (AAW), and Minnesota Agri-Women District 11. All input and responses will build on knowledge from past surveys and …

Recognizing our Essential Workers

MARCH 2021 The Virtual Migrant and Community Health Conference: Recognizing Our Essential Workers was held the week of March 22 – 26, 2021. The Promoting Worker Health and Safety Project for Immigrant Dairy Workers presented an hour session – giving an overview of the project previously in Wisconsin and currently in Minnesota. Chela Vazquez …

Farm Safety Check: Working Alone

There are tasks that should never be done alone on the farm, such as working in a confined space. In fact, it’s usually best to work in pairs or groups. However, if you need to do a task alone, first stop, think, and act. …

Cultivating a Culture of Safety

MARCH 2021 Ag professionals and researchers from across the country came together March 22-24 for the Agricultural Safety and Health Council of America’s (ASHCA) North American Agricultural Safety Summit, Raising Safety, Cultivate a Culture of Safety. The goal of this year’s event was to align evidence-based safety interventions with production …

SPOTLIGHT: Precarious bugs to avoid this spring

MARCH 2021 Addisalem Hunde Bedada DVM, MS Veterinary Public Health and Preventive Medicine Resident After the long, dark, winter months, spring is literally a breath of fresh air. In this time, the snow recedes, and the temperatures become more moderate and we can say goodbye to the frigid winter and enjoy the transition before a hot summer kicks in. …

SPOTLIGHT: The Hierarchy of Controls: Keeping Toothpaste in the Tube!

MARCH 2021 Have you ever tried putting toothpaste back in the tube? It doesn’t work well. The same goes for farm safety. It’s better to prevent an incident, such as COVID-19, than to deal with the aftermath. The Hierarchy of Controls is a great tool to prevent injuries and save lives. It requires you to identify hazards and develop creative solutions. …

SPOTLIGHT: Springtime – shedding sweaters and crypto

MARCH 2021 For those of us in the Upper Midwest, spring is a welcomed time of year. The days are longer, warmer and we can slowly shed the sweaters and puffer coats. For dairy and beef farmers, spring is a time to anticipate spring calving and prepare for herd health. Cryptosporidium is a common parasite during calving season and cryptosporidiosis is …