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Better Together: Collaborations for Mental Health in Rural Areas

The University of Minnesota Alumni Association’s Winter 2020 magazine, Minnesota Alumni, highlighted innovative approaches U of M alumni, students, and faculty are using to improve dental care and mental health support throughout Minnesota. UMASH was featured as a resource for farmers going through stressful times. One UMASH Partner Project in particular …

SPOTLIGHT: The Opioid Crisis – Where Can You Turn for Help?

DECEMBER 2019 Opioid dependency has been and continues to be a problem for many and it does not discriminate. Rural America is not immune to the problems opioids create particularly in the agricultural community. Farming is one of the most dangerous occupations in the country and with that can come the potential for misuse and addiction. Fortunately …

SPOTLIGHT: To Be Safe, You Have to Know How: OSHA QuickCards

DECEMBER 2019 Safety is a big issue on the farm, but with busy days and potential language barriers, how do you discuss farm safety with employees? QuickCards are free laminated cards that offer quick, bulleted talking points about various safety issues. They even tell you exactly how to train workers about safe practices. There are over 50 topics, …

Gear Up for Ag Health & Safety

Ag Health and Safety Alliance came to Minnesota on December 2, 2019, to host their “Gear Up for Ag Health & Safety” program with students at South Central College at their Mankato, MN location. Founder and president, Carolyn Sheridan, had 90 minutes with the college students to cover topics from respiratory protection to mental health in agriculture. …

Faces of UMASH: Meet Ana Contreras Smith!

Hello! My name is Ana Contreras Smith. I joined the UMASH team in July as the Dairy Safety Trainer for the Promoting Safety and Health for Immigrant Dairy Workers program. I have been working in agricultural industry mostly with dairy producers since graduating from the University of Minnesota. When I first started working in the industry I quickly …

A Centennial Celebration: Minnesota Farm Bureau

Megan Schossow and Maria Bertrand attended this year’s Minnesota Farm Bureau (MFB) Annual Meeting on Friday, November 22nd in Bloomington, Minnesota. The annual meeting involves MFB delegate voting, exhibitor displays, award ceremonies, panels with commissioners and policymakers, and other meetings and discussions. Megan and Maria participated in …

Minnesota Farmers Union Turns 78

The Minnesota Farmers Union State Convention was held the weekend of November 22 – 24, 2019 in Minneapolis. Megan Schossow and Carol Peterson exhibited at the event for UMASH and joined a number of other agriculturally focused organizations. Events such as this are an opportunity to talk one to one with farmers and their families in addition to …

SPOTLIGHT: A Commitment to Farmers

NOVEMBER 2019 UMASH is invested in helping farmers through these challenging times. We join many others in this effort to offer resources to assist farmers, families, workers and rural communities to manage the physical and mental impacts of the current farm economy. As part of our commitment to this cause, we often highlight relevant initiatives and …

Reframe, Refocus, Rebuild: MRASH

  Building resilience in agricultural communities starts with preparedness, planning and prevention. This year’s Midwest Rural Agricultural Safety and Health (MRASH) Conference, in Marshalltown, IA, framed emergencies and disasters through the theme, “Reframe, Refocus, Rebuild.” The Iowa Center for Agricultural Safety and Health the Great …

Fun on the Farm: Agritourism Workshop

Last week we hosted our sixth Agritourism Workshop in Andover, Minnesota. These workshops are co-hosted by the Minnesota Department of Health Zoonotic Diseases Unit staff, MDH Environmental Health staff, and the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. These workshops have been funded by UMASH since 2015 and are provided free of charge for attendees. Topics …