SPOTLIGHT: Alexis Murillo, Reflecting on my UMASH Internship
University of Minnesota student Alexis Murillo describes her experiences and what she learned during her time working as a UMASH Communications Intern. …
SPOTLIGHT: We are grateful for our partners
November is a month to reflect and be thankful. Bruce Alexander, Director of UMASH, puts into words how grateful we are as an organization to partner with exceptional collaborators such as Monica Cruz Zorrilla and the Consulate of Mexico in Saint Paul. …
SPOTLIGHT: A Better Way to Return To Work
When farm workers are forced to take time off due to sickness or injuries, the current return-to-work process has often been a hardship for both the individual and the farm business. The UMASH-funded project, Facilitating Return to Work for Injured and Ill Animal Agriculture Workers, created a system for clinicians to use when assessing a farmers’ injury or sickness. …
SPOTLIGHT: Pesky Occupations
Tick- borne diseases are particularly threatening to people who spend a majority of their days in high-risk tick areas such as farmers, DNR members, and soldiers. Dr. Claudia Munoz-Zanzi, Environmental Health Sciences Associate Professor at the University of Minnesota, set out to lay the groundwork for TBD research and prevention in her UMASH-funded pilot project Tick-borne Disease Risk for Agricultural Workers and their Families in the Midwest. …
SPOTLIGHT: A Solution to the Silent but Deadly Farm Gases
There are many stories. Stories of farmers with chronic illnesses. Stories of middle aged ag-workers suffering from respiratory issues. Stories of farm families losing their lives to hydrogen sulfide toxins. According to Agrisafe Network Clinical Director Carolyn Sheridan, these stories are happening everywhere and far too often. …
SPOTLIGHT: A Collaborative Effort to Advocate for Safety and Health on Farms
In August 2017, UMASH, the Great Plains Center for Agriculture Health (GPCAH), and the Center States Center for Agriculture Safety and Health (CS-CASH), collaborated at Farm Fest to foster conversations about potential health and safety risks and promote the resources that have come from all three centers. …
SPOTLIGHT: Agritourism
Keeping Your Visitors Happy and Healthy. Agritourism is an opportunity for farms to allow guests onto the premises to enjoy some kind of agriculture experience. Although agritourism events serve as wonderful learning experiences, the interaction between animals and humans can cause disease outbreaks. …
SPOTLIGHT: Ag Teachers Go Back to Class
Megan Roberts, Assistant Extension Professor for the University of Minnesota, lead a pilot project to develop a curriculum for agriculture educators that focused on occupational health and safety. …
SPOTLIGHT: UMASH Shines a Light on Safety at MN Farmfest
On August 1, 2017, UMASH sponsored a panel discussion at the Minnesota Farmfest. The panel discussion was titled Farm Safety: Protecting You, Your Family, Your Visitors, and Your Bottom Line. …
SPOTLIGHT: Firefighters Could be Key to Farm Safety
Rural firefighters are farmers’ neighbors, friends, family, or are farmers in their own right. They are a highly trainable and trusted workforce. Moreover, they are in every rural county in the U.S. and will always outnumber agricultural health and safety experts – unless they become experts themselves. …