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ACTION! Recognizing Student Participants in the 2023 Ag Communications Contest

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). This course is titled Advanced Video Production for Agriculture, Food and the Environment (AECM 4432) and is an Agricultural Education, Communications and Marketing course offered through the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource sciences at the University of Minnesota. …

Living Healthy, Farming Safely at MN Farmfest

On August 1-3, for the fifth year, we collaborated with our partners to host the UMASH Wellness Pavilion at the 2023 Minnesota Farmfest, the largest farm show in Minnesota. Hosted on the Gilfillan Estate in Redwood County, Minnesota, this event attracts thousands of farmers, workers, families, state and local officials, and community members from across the region. The Wellness Pavilion offers hands-on activities, blood pressure screenings, and live ag safety demonstrations to encourage learning and conversation about Living Healthy, Farming Safely. …

Do you believe in… farm safety? FFA’ers share their thoughts

UMASH and the National Children’s Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety teamed up to survey FFA-ers’ at their 2022 National Convention. This is the fourth year we have surveyed students to gather insights on the next generation of agriculture. The previous years were 2018, 2019, and 2021. …

Telling the Story at ISASH 2023

The Telling the Story Project team was at the International Society for Agricultural Safety and Health (ISASH) in Tampa, Florida in June 2023. The team led a workshop called Taking Telling the Story to the Next Level. …

Hazy Days: Wildfire Smoke Safety While Working Outdoors

Wildfire smoke and poor air quality affect farmers and farm workers. Since agriculture is an outdoor job, it’s important to be in the know about air quality, the dangers of working outside, and how to stay safe. UMASH has compiled a toolkit with many resources to help farmers know the key terms, hazards, and strategies to keep themselves safe and healthy in these dangerous environmental conditions. …

Building Networks and Expertise for a Safer and Healthier Future: UMN Public Health Institute

Several UMASH faculty and staff kicked off summer in the classroom for the 2023 Public Health Institute (PHI) at the University of Minnesota. Practicing professionals and graduate students get academic or continuing education credits to build and expand their expertise and networks at PHI, with over 30 offerings in 2023, ranging from policy development and systems thinking to communications and analysis. …

2023 NORA Symposium: Changing the Climate of Worker Health and Safety

The Midwest Center for Occupational Health and Safety (MCOHS) and the Upper Midwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center (UMASH) co-hosted the NORA online symposium on April 27, 2023. The symposium, entitled "Changing the Climate of Worker Health and Safety: A Forum on Lessons and Actions to Foster a Resilient Workforce," brought together experts to discuss how climate change will impact environmental, social, mental and physical health in a variety of workplaces and industries. The lessons and actions shared during this year’s NORA Symposium underscored the importance of preparedness and training to foster a resilient workforce. …

SPOTLIGHT: Concentrating on Calves: Prep for a Safe and Successful Spring

Spring is a season of renewal, and a busy time for farmers, farmworkers, and agricultural communities. It is a welcome relief from the long Upper Midwest winter and marks the arrival of new calves and the beginning of the growing season. To ensure the health of the herd and workers, keep safe animal handling and disease prevention procedures in mind. Prioritizing health and safety during this time can help support your operation's success and sustainability for years to come. Our ag health and safety partners have been diligently sharing information about how to have a safe calving season this year. Read on for more! …

SPOTLIGHT: Stay Safe Around Manure!

Manure is a valuable resource for crop production. However, as manure decomposes, invisible gases are released, which can be deadly. Hydrogen sulfide, or H2S, is particularly dangerous. In addition, there can be an increased release of such gasses during manure agitation. This is especially true when manure slurry contains sulfur compounds from gypsum bedding, poor water quality, or other sources. Read on for information about work at Pennsylvania State University to increase awareness of these dangers and guidelines for preventing injury or death around manure storage. …

SPOTLIGHT: Examining the Past and Patterns to Promote Ag Health and Safety with NFMC

The National Farm Medicine Center Year (NFMC) recently published their Year in Review, and NFMC and UMASH researchers Casper Bendixsen and Florence Becot contributed to an article on "Automation, Climate Change, and the Future of Farm Work: Cross-Disciplinary Lessons for Studying Dynamic Changes in Agricultural Health and Safety." UMASH shares some highlights of their collaboration and recent work. …