FarmSafe Podcast

This episode brings together some familiar voices to share special memories of our friend and colleague, Paul Gunderson, PhD. We also talk about ways in which we can stay safe on the farm in honor of Paul's memory. Paul, former director of the National Farm Medicine Center in Marshfield, died last December at the age of 82. Episode Resources In memoriam: Paul Gunderson, former director, Natio...

This episode of the FarmSafe podcast is about rural emergency preparedness. We chat with Dr. Aaron Yoder about preparing for disasters and communicating with others so that they know where you are if you have to work alone. We also asked him about the Farm MAPPER project, and we discussed other technology that can be used in emergency situations or that can be used to communicate across large dist...

Carrie Klumb is an infectious disease epidemiologist from the Minnesota Department of Health. On today's episode, she explains zoonotic diseases and identifies how to prevent infections from handling animals. Carrie describes how animals naturally carry microorganisms that don’t make animals sick but can make people sick. She answers common questions about handwashing and encourages practices...

We are back with Dr. Athena Ramos this week. As we continue the conversation on feedyard safety, we look at how safety climate can inform safety compliance and adoption in feedyard workers. How can a cowboy’s safety behavior impact an entire workforce, and how can we get feedyard managers to prioritize safety conversations? These questions and more will be examined in this week’s episode. Episode...

Dr. Athena Ramos works with, and specializes in, research regarding Latino and Hispanic farmworkers. With over 20 years of experience, Ramos’ 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 indust...

Interested in applying for a GPCAH pilot award of up to $30,000? Listen to this short episode highlighting past recipients, their impact, and what they thought of the GPCAH pilot grant program. Application deadline: July 5, 2024. Episode Resources GPCAH Pilot Grant Program Info and RFA

In this episode, we discuss the hazards of mud on the farm and provide practical tips that farmers can use when working in mud or extracting farm equipment from mud. Our guest this episode is Dr. Fred Whitford from Purdue University Extension. Episode Resources Safety Tips: What to do when you’re stuck in the mud Extracting Stuck Equipment Safely

Lesley Kelly works on her farm in Saskatchewan, Canada with her brother and his family, her husband, and her two boys. She is the co-founder of the Do More Agriculture Foundation, and she runs the blog High Heels and Canola Fields. We talk with her about her and her family’s mental health struggles and how they work to combat the symptoms of living with stress on the farm. Episode Resources The Do...

In this episode, we speak with Sabrina Keiper. Sabrina is a female forester working for Amana Forestry. Although she loves the work, being a woman in a male-dominated field comes with its challenges. Finding properly fitting PPE would help make the job easier and safer for Sabrina. Episode Resources Logging Forestry Safety Series Additional information on fitting the tool to the job and considerat...

In this week’s episode, we’re doing things a little differently. In light of Thanksgiving, we will be discussing how agriculture plays a role in the holiday and why we’re thankful for our farmers, ranchers, and all agricultural workers who provide us with food, fiber, and fuel.

We’re continuing the Season 2 kickoff theme: women in agriculture. Karen Thornton devotes all of her time to agriculture, and today she will be discussing safety challenges from her experiences – from equipment fit to livestock handling. Episode Resources Ag Safety Extension: Women, Tools and Ergonomics OSU Fact Sheets UCD: Ergonomics Women in Agriculture: Health and Wellness Agrisafe: Healthcare...

Today, we speak with Dr. Carly Nichols, whose research focuses on stress in women in agriculture. She is an assistant professor at the University of Iowa in the Department of Geographical and Sustainability Sciences. Carly talks about her research findings and offers some resources for those who may be experiencing stress. Episode Resources Cultivating Resiliency  GPCAH Mental Health  988 Lifeline...

During this episode,  we talk with Shelby and Susan Wright, two women who are on the frontlines of agriculture. They join us from Kentucky to discuss their role in agriculture and how personal safety and chemical safety relate to their jobs. Episode Resources Agrisafe: Women’s Health University of Illinois Extension: Challenges for Women in Farm Life Ag Safety and Health: Women in Agriculture

Today, we are talking with Marsha from the Great Plains Center for Agricultural Health. She is organizing the health and safety tent at the Farm Progress Show. The show is from August 30th through September 1st in Boone, Iowa, and we learn about the available resources and demonstrations for preventing injury and illness on the farm. Episode Resources Farm Progress Show Story Co. IA Public Health...

We are wrapping up our first season with our 23rd episode. We’ve spent the last year hearing stories from farmers and agricultural safety and health specialists in the Midwest about different farm hazards and how to prevent injuries and illnesses. We are taking a short break but will be back in September with new episodes. Today, we meet Matison Bentley who will be hosting the podcast in September...

In this episode, we continue our conversation about manure gas hazards.  The focus today is on gas monitors that can be used to detect the presence of hydrogen sulfide and methane. Because we cannot sense the presence of hydrogen sulfide or methane at high concentrations, we need to rely on a gas monitor to detect and alert us when we are in danger. Renee Anthony, an industrial hygienist, talks ab...

Two of the most dangerous hazards with manure gas are hydrogen sulfide and methane. When inhaled, hydrogen sulfide can paralyze the respiratory system leading to asphyxiation and death. Methane in the presence of an ignition source can cause explosions. Today, we hear from a first responder describing some of the calls they've responded to for manure gas hazards, and then Renee Anthony, indus...

We’ve been talking to pilot grant recipients about their projects to learn how they got their ideas, what they learned, and what recommendations they have for other people who are interested in applying. Today, I’m talking with Maya Ramaswamy who received a pilot grant for a project titled, “Identifying job demands and health outcomes among Iowa beginning farmers.” Maya talks about how her interes...

Throughout May, we’ve been talking with pilot grant recipients about their projects to support farmers’ mental health. For today’s episode, I sat down and spoke with Yanni Liang about her 2020 pilot grant, “Examining the role of agricultural cooperatives in protecting farmers’ mental health.” Yanni said the goal of her project was to understand what resources are available that already exist in co...

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, so today, we are joined by Meg Moynihan from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture and Don Wick, host of the TransFARMation podcast, to talk about their project called Airing Out Farm Stress .  They received a pilot grant from the Great Plains Center for their project, which aimed to tackle the silence around how the stresses inherent in agricultural product...

The Great Plains Center funds pilot projects that promote innovative outreach and research efforts to prevent agricultural injury and illness. In this episode, we talk with Dr. David Brown, the behavioral health state specialist at Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, about his pilot project that provided suicide prevention trainings for over 4300 producers and landowners in Iowa. This is...

In this episode, we are talking about Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), also known as “bird flu.” It is a highly contagious disease that is currently circulating in the United States among birds. As of April 5, 2022, there have been no reported human cases. According to the CDC, these avian flu viruses spread naturally among wild aquatic birds and can infect domestic poultry. It is highly...

This episode is part of our "Research Spotlight" series, where we talk about recent research in the field of agricultural safety and health. Research can help identify hazards, understand outcomes, and determine if interventions are helpful in reducing injuries and illnesses. In this episode, we hear from Matt McFalls and Dr. Marizen Ramirez from the University of Minnesota, who recently...

In this episode, we talk to Dan Neenan, director of the National Education Center for Agricultural Safety, about anhydrous ammonia. Dan has worked as a firefighter and paramedic responding to anhydrous ammonia releases.  "I've been a paramedic coming up on 30 years now and I don't think I've seen anybody in more pain than a gentleman that I had that was sprayed in the face and...

In this episode, we talk about grain engulfment and entrapment. The speed and force of flowing or shifting grain can have deadly consequences for workers who enter grain bins or walk on outdoor grain piles. We will be hearing stories from three guests today: a woman whose brother was rescued from a grain bin, an emergency responder who has been called for grain bin rescues, and Dr. Salah Issa, a r...