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SPOTLIGHT: Demos at Farmfest

JULY 2021 UMASH at Minnesota Farmfest 2021 Come for the mini donuts and stay for the safety demonstrations UMASH is back at Minnesota Farmfest in 2021 with the Safety Demonstration Pavilion and ready to talk and demonstrate farm safety and health. We are hosting four safety demonstrations to reinforce how quickly injuries can occur and prevention methods …

SPOTLIGHT: Confined Spaces

JUNE 2021 OSHA defines a confined space as having “limited or restricted means for entry or exit and is not designed for continuous occupancy.” Confined spaces on farms can include grain bins, forage storage silos, liquid storage tanks, manure storage facilities and transport vehicles.  Purdue University’s Agricultural and Biological Engineering …

SPOTLIGHT: Drought Toolkit

JUNE 2021                                          As the summer unfolds, many farmers may be concerned about drought conditions especially given hotter than normal temperatures. Drought can affect us in many different ways including economic, environmental and social/well being impacts. Time such as this can be quite stressful …

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 …