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SPOTLIGHT: A teacher, an advocate and a friend

JUNE 2021 UMASH is recognizing a colleague who was instrumental in the immigrant dairy worker project since 2011. Patricia Juárez-Carrillo, PhD, MPH, recently passed away due to pulmonary fibrosis. She was a strong advocate for environmental and social justice and spent much of her life working to improve the health of families living along the US-Mexico …

SPOTLIGHT: UMASH is About the People & the Partnerships

MAY 2021 UMASH is an interdisciplinary organization spanning five states and at least five industries (i.e., agriculture, public health, veterinary medicine, occupational health, and healthcare). Through committed partnerships with community leaders, field experts, and researchers, UMASH has the tools to address multifaceted problems in agricultural …

SPOTLIGHT: Time for a Grain Bin Check Up – Don’t forget safety

MAY 2021 Grain bins have long been the topic of agricultural safety and health. Unfortunately, many tragedies have occurred when working around bins, most notably flowing grain and entrapment. There are additional safety concerns including respiratory, hearing and falls which can and do occur. As we head into late spring and summer, many farmers are …

SPOTLIGHT: Leave A Message – Ag Communication students develop farm safety messages

MAY 2021 Powerful messages come through a variety of means and they can change the way we think and act. The art and science of communication can be an effective tool, and short video messages such as public service announcements (PSA’s) are one example. Penn State University noted PSA’s are effective because: It gets the audience to pay attention. …

SPOTLIGHT: NIOSH’s 50th Anniversary

APRIL 2021 Now, more than ever, worker health in the United States is a priority to each and every one of us. During this time of great challenges and changes in public health, the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is celebrating their 50th anniversary throughout all of 2021. Established by the Occupational Safety and Health …

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 …

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. …