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Health Meets Harvest: Empowering Mayo Med Students in Ag Medicine

UMASH, Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine, and Zumbro Valley Medical Society teamed up to create an agricultural and rural medicine elective for medical students. This course, led by Dr. Steven Kirkhorn and Dr. Jonathan Kirsch, addressed rural healthcare, including agricultural and migrant worker health, to help prepare future physicians serving rural communities. …

Springing into Action for Ag Health and Safety

Spring has sprung, and as farms are busy and in action with planting season underway, so is our UMASH team. From welcoming new faces, to raising agricultural safety awareness, catch up on what UMASH researchers and staff have been doing to help farmers, workers, and families stay safe and healthy this spring and all season long. …

Safeguard your farm: Protect you and your livestock from HPAI

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), also known as “bird flu,” is a serious, highly contagious disease that is often fatal to chickens and turkeys. To prepare for the possible infection of flocks in the Upper Midwest, UMASH has prepared a toolkit to help poultry farmers enhance prevention with biosecurity protocols, identify the signs and symptoms of HPAI in birds, and stay connected to additional resources from USDA - APHIS and state departments of agriculture. …

Off-Road Ready: ATV/UTV Safety for Every Ride

While ATVs and UTVs can be enjoyable to drive and practical for work, the thrill of riding can turn dangerous, even deadly, if not handled with caution. Use these ATV and UTV safety tips to get off-road ready and gear up for a safe ride every time. …

Welcome back, Cassie! A catch up Q&A

UMASH welcomes Cassie Edlund back to the team as Senior Communications and Evaluation Specialist! Learn more about her journey, passion for public health, and commitment to promoting health and safety for agricultural communities through effective communication strategies and storytelling in this insightful Q &A. …

Advancing Agricultural Safety in DC

UMASH, MCOHS and other NIOSH Centers met in Washington, DC to discuss occupational safety and health research, training and outreach, focusing on advancing the well-being of workers in the agricultural sector, and workers across the US. …

Possible or probable? MDH tracks potential farm-related injuries to prevent future risks

Dr. Erik Zabel studies health and safety on farms. In his work, he looks at data about injuries and illnesses from hospitals and clinics to understand which injuries likely happened on farms. Using hospital discharge data (diagnosis codes and e-codes), Erik is tracking farm injuries and working to develop a farm safety indicator. A farm safety indicator could be used to accurately track the number of farm injuries over time, which would provide insight into whether safety programs have helped reduce the number of injuries, create possible and probable safety and health categories, and target where workplace interventions may be helpful. …

Honoring the Life of Carol Peterson

All of us at UMASH are deeply saddened to share that our dear friend and colleague, Carol M. Peterson, passed away November 19, 2023. Carol was a significant part of the UMASH team, and a gift to the agricultural safety and health community. We are deeply grateful for Carol’s impact and contributions, as well as the relationships and memories made along the way. …

Fall Connections

NOVEMBER 2023 Autumn is a significant season in agriculture, and UMASH had an active month connecting with colleagues and FFA students and making new connections. Fraternizing at FFA UMASH & National Farm Medicine Center’s (NFMC) Scott Heiberger and Melissa Ploeckelman traveled to the 2023 National FFA Convention. Thousands of attendees, both …

Scene and Herd in September

September was a busy month for meetings and presentations. The Ag Centers Safety and Health Summit in Marshfield, WI; the Auction of Champions at National Farm Medicine Center, and John Gibbins, DVM, MPH, dipl. ACVPM visited to UMASH and the University of Minnesota School of Public Health and College of Veterinary Medicine. …