Central States Center for Agricultural Safety & Health

May 2023

Quarterly Newsletter

In the spring, farms are abuzz with activity. Farmers are busy preparing their fields for planting, tending to newborn animals, and getting ready for the growing season ahead. It's a time of new beginnings and fresh starts, and there's a sense of excitement in the air.

The season also brings new safety and health concerns for agriculture workers. It is important to be aware of potential hazards such as working with machinery, handling pesticides, and dealing with unpredictable weather. Proper safety precautions such as wearing protective gear, maintaining equipment, and staying informed about weather forecasts can help prevent accidents and ensure a healthy spring season.

Be sure to check our updated website and read this newsletter for resources to keep yourself and others safe and healthy on the farm.

Visit our new & improved website!

Our website was recently overhauled - be sure to check it out! Learn more about our team, the research we do and fund, find print friendly resources, read our latest media releases, and more.

Visit the CS-CASH Homepage.

Upcoming Events

2023 Agricultural Health and Safety Course for Medical and Safety Professionals

This course is designed to examine key health and safety issues specific to rural and agricultural workers. Experts will present course material relevant to those working in health care, public health, education, and safety professions.

Session A: Agricultural Health — July 18-19, 2023

Session B: Agricultural Safety and Prevention — July 20-21, 2023

Session C: Special Topics — online modules available July 18 - Aug. 18, 2023

As a way of saying thank you to rural and urban health care providers, emergency services personnel, and those who provide other essential services to our communities, this course is offered free of charge. However, registration is required.

You may choose to participate in any or all of the three sessions. For Sessions A and B, you may join us in person or via live stream while Session C consists of online modules that you may complete at your own pace.

Learn more and register.

2023 Farm Safety Summer

We are collaborating with Nebraska Extension to hold our annual “tractor safety” training courses at 7 sites across Nebraska in late May and early June. Students will complete the first day of the course either by attending a hands-on event or online through the eXtension Foundation Campus website. The hands-on events will take place May 22 in North Platte and May 30 in Grand Island. After successfully completing the hands-on event or the online course, and testing, the required driving test will be offered at 7 locations across Nebraska May 23 through June 8, 2023.

2023 Information & Registration

Do you know someone who would benefit from this course? Please share the info! If you'd like a flyer to post or social media images to share, please contact kepalm@unmc.edu.

Upcoming Outreach and Training Events

Find us on the road! Interested in having us provide outreach at an event? Contact ellen.duysen@unmc.edu.

Ongoing | Progressive Ag Safety Days (contact Ellen for details)
May-June | Tractor & Equipment Safety Training (see below)
August 1-3 | Farmfest | Redwood County, MN
August 12-17 | National Association of Agricultural Agents (NCAA) 2023 | Des Moines, IA
September 12-14 | Husker Harvest Days | Wood River, NE

CS-CASH in Action

Dr. Athena Ramos was featured in Season 2, Episode 11, of the FarmSafe Podcast. Dr. Athena Ramos works with, and specializes in, research regarding Latino and Hispanic farmworkers. With over 20 years of experience, Ramos’s work helps create healthier and more vibrant communities where everyone feels that they belong. In this episode, Dr. Ramos talks about safety and Midwest cattle feedyards – an agricultural sector with one of the highest injury and illness rates in the industry. Learn more about feedyard worker safety.

The Grain Elevator and Processing Society (GEAPS) Mid-America meeting, during Stand Up 4 Grain Safety week, took place in Omaha, NE, on March 28. Ellen Duysen and Dr. Aaron Yoder from CS-CASH were at the meeting providing safety and health information.

Grain handling resources:

CS-CASH was thrilled to sponsor three different presentations for Stand Up 4 Grain Safety Week. Ellen Duysen spoke about emerging health issues, and Dr. Aaron Yoder and Rodrigo Gamboa spoke about heat and extreme weather - Yoder provided the presentation in English and Gamboa provided the presentation in Spanish.

March 19 was National Poultry Day! CS-CASH was at the annual Nebraska Poultry Industries Conference, providing safety and health materials for poultry workers.

Find safety and health materials for poultry workers on our Resources webpage.

In partnership with the UNL Haskell Ag Lab the Central Valley Ag (CVA) Ropes Rescue Team, and the Grain Handling Safety Coalition, CS-CASH and CVA trainers provided a 4-hour grain handling safety and rescue training to 73 participants (including farmers, EMS personnel, firefighters, rescue personnel, emergency dispatchers and students) on February 8. The training, held at the Haskell Ag Lab in Concord, Nebraska, provided grain handling and rescue information by Dr. Aaron Yoder, Dr. Risto Rautiainen, and Ellen Duysen.

The Center welcomed Dr. Matthew Nonnenman to the team! Dr. Nonnenman is an industrial hygienist who specializes in measuring and controlling dust and bioaerosols. His long-term goal is to protect the public health through research that (i) advances the science of exposure assessment (ii) advances in the science of characterization, and control of bioaerosols. Dr. Nonnenmann has 25 years of experience working as an industrial hygienist in the agricultural and health care sectors primarily funded through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Connect with us @unmccscash

https://go.unmc.edu/cs-cash

Funding provided to Central States Center for Agricultural Safety and Health by NIOSH AFF Grant U54OH010162