NCERA Accomplishments – mid-year 2023

 Short-term Outcomes:

 The creation and maintenance of safety standards for agricultural equipment and systems.

 Individual committee members are leading or co-leading major projects that focus in these areas:

 Dairy worker health around emerging issues that included COVID 19, use of PPE, hygiene, and preventing antibiotic resistance both through the personal use of antibiotics as well as the use of these drugs on dairy farms.

• Two major projects focused on farmer wellness, mental health, and well-being. This included providing the Extension leadership on a program called FarmWell Wisconsin and another one called WeCOPE. These programs have led to intentions for behavioral change as well as increased knowledge and discovery of key barriers to farm health and safety.
• Graduate students are being recruited for work on research in agricultural safety and health. This will help to continue recruiting individuals for careers in this area.
• Member serves as director of the pilot/feasibility studies program for the Southwest Center for Agricultural Health, Injury Prevention, and Education has contributed to capacity building in agricultural safety and health research. Two new projects were funded during the reporting period. These both engaged junior researchers.
• Indiana committee members have distributed Gearing Up 4 Safety Curriculum to over 14,500 rural Extension Educators and all FFA Advisors in the U.S. This has resulted in the development of over 30 new 20–25-minute videos to accompany the Gearing Up 4 Safety Curriculum.
• Three new articles related to agricultural confined spaces as well as the publication and distribution of the 2022 Summary of Ag-related Confined Space Related Fatalities and Injuries.
• The 2020 Indiana Farm Fatality Summary was published and disseminated. Other committee members participated as an exhibitor at numerous public events including Indiana Farm Machinery Show, Fort Wayne Farm Show, Amish Handicapped Gathering, Indiana State Fair, Farm Progress Show, National Farm Machinery Show, and National FFA Convention.
• A committee member initiated the research and outreach program related to safety for robotics and emerging technologies in agriculture. This individual presented and co-organized the “Labor & Ergonomics for Emerging Technologies” session in the “Addressing Grand Challenges in the Produce Industry” workshop.
• Committee member served as Co-PI and Co-organizer of a workshop funded by USDA, AFRI ($50,000), titled “SAfety For Emerging Robotics and Autonomous aGriculture (SAFER AG)” that was held November 9-10, 2022, in Urbana, IL, with 100 participants from industry, academia, government, farmers, and media.
• Several members served as co-hosts for a workshop titled “Emerging Technology in Agriculture: Keeping Health and Safety at the Forefront” with 40 participants from Industry, Academia, Government Farmers, and Farmworkers representatives on May 11, 2023, at UC Davis in California, to discuss the safety and health concerns for farmworkers related to robotics and new technologies in agriculture.   
• Committee members' work has resulted in the development of a Youth Safety working group comprised of WVU Extension county-based agents and state specialists and multiple ASI ATV Safety RiderCourse training taught by ASI licensed instructors across the state of WV.
• A committee member led efforts are focused on building the capacity of educators in the Northeast who have an interest in ag safety and health but little allocated time, access to training, and resources. As safety specialists at the university system retired, those positions were not filled or were revamped. Through the NE Ag Safety and Health Coalition (NEASHC), we have developed a network of people and investing in those who are filling these gaps because they have a vested interest in safety and a small portion of time.
• The University of Missouri Extension increased participation in USDA Programs among Socially Disadvantaged and Veteran Farmers and Ranchers through three (3) workshops, eighteen (18) Farmer Learning Circles, four (4) Table Talks, forty-three (57) Team-to-One Coaching sessions, and one (1) Veteran Farmer Career Fair serving 250 veterans.
• 336 individuals participated in 18 Farmer Learning Circles including farm safety topics: small tractor, chain saw, hand-operated equipment, hearing protection, personal protective equipment, ergonomic gloves, proper footwear as well as health topics: cold, heat, stress, anxiety, depression, ergonomics, proper body mechanics. 36 individuals participated in 4 Table Talks. 44 beginning urban Veteran Farmers learned about federal, state, and local farm programs, services, and resources.
• 57 individuals received Team-to-One Farm Coaching services. 250 Veterans were served via the Mid-Missouri Veterans Resource Fair.
• The Grain C.A.R.T. provided training programs for rural first responders to increase their capacity in grain rescue emergencies; working collaboratively with the Ohio Fire Academy, technical training using the simulator was delivered to 650 fire and EMT personnel.
• A multi-disciplinary team of Ohio State Extension educators created the Farm Stress Certified Program, to teach mental health professionals about the unique farm and rural stressors. This course is designed for social workers, counselors and other health service providers who are required to obtain Continuing Education Units (CEUs) to maintain their licenses. Our team partnered with the College of Social Work (through a memorandum of understanding), which provides publicity, logistical support, and issues CEUs for practitioners. A total of 7.5 CEUs are available, and a Farm Stress Certified Certificate is issued after all three modules are completed. In the first year, the program enrolled and issued CEUs to approximately 900 mental health professionals attending at least one segment of the program, and issued Certificates of Training to 400 participants for completing the entire course.
• As part of the SAE safety award program, the supervised agricultural experience risk assessment tool has been shared with the Iowa Department of Education: Agricultural Education Division within Career and Technical Education.
• Project activities have been shared with State FFA associations for Utah, Montana, and South Dakota. Currently, the National SAE for All initiative hosted by The Council for Agricultural Education has incorporated the risk assessment documents within student record keeping. These documents have been shared through teacher in-services at local, regional, and national conferences.
• The SAE safety curriculum materials are hosted on the USDA-NIFA-funded Safety in Agriculture for Youth Clearinghouse which is publicly available through eXtension.org

Outputs:

 In 2022-2023, a committee member was a featured guest on the Brownfield Radio Network, RFD Radio, MidWest Farm Report, and others that reach several dozen stations nationwide.

 This individual maintains the Agricultural Safety & Health program website: https://agsafety.wisc.edu/ as well as the Coping Better: Connecting with Our Positive Emotions podcast web page: https://agsafety.wisc.edu/coping-better-connecting-with-our-positive-emotions-podcast/

 Other outputs: 1) Shutske, J. (2022). Farmers and Ranchers, Your Strengths Are Many! American Farm Bureau Federation’s Focus on Agriculture. December 28, 2022. https://www.fb.org/focus-on-agriculture/farmers-and-ranchers-your-strengths-are-many

2) Shutske, J. (2022). Time to upgrade our thinking on highway risk before its too late. Wisconsin State Farmer. August 9, 2022. https://www.wisfarmer.com/story/opinion/columnists/2022/08/09/time-upgrade-our-thinking-highway-risk-before-its-too-late/10236429002/

3) Shutske, J. primary source. (2022). Machinery-related highway fatalities remain high. Brownfield Radio Network. December 19, 2022. https://brownfieldagnews.com/news/machinery-related-highway-fatalities-remain-high/

4) Shutske, J, Versweyveld, J. (2022). Don't get beat by the summertime heat. Wisconsin State Farmer. July 2, 2022. https://www.wisfarmer.com/story/news/2022/07/02/dont-get-beat-summertime-heat/7798623001/

5) Shutske, J. Content source. (2022). 9-year-old girl recovering following accident on Fond du Lac County farm. WBAY-TV, Channel 2. August 25, 2022. https://www.wbay.com/2022/08/25/9-year-old-girl-recovering-following-accident-fond-du-lac-farm/

6) Shutske, J. and Weichelt, B. (2022). Roadway deaths are seen as a major concern for the state ag industry. Published in WisPolitics Business News. December 20, 2022. https://www.wispolitics.com/2022/roadway-deaths-seen-as-major-concern-for-state-ag-industry

7) Shutske, J. primary source. (2022). Effective Communication in Farm Families Reduces Stress. Landcaster Farming newspaper (NY state). January 20, 2022. https://www.lancasterfarming.com/farming-news/news/effective-communication-in-farm-families-reduces-stress/article_698dee8c-8463-5f8a-9a2b-ddf0cf3a269f.html

8) Shutske, J. primary source. (2022). Agencies Release Report on Wisconsin Farm Fatalities. Wisconsin Ag Connection. December 20, 2022. http://www.wisconsinagconnection.com/story-state.php?Id=1272&yr=2022

9) Shutske, J. primary source. (2022). Combine fires: a $20 million avoidable problem preventative measures sidestep or minimize fire threat. Successful Farming. October 23, 2022. https://www.agriculture.com/machinery/harvesting/combine-fires-a-20-million-avoidable-problem

10) Shutske, J, Heiberger, S., Klahn A. (2022). Protecting Agriculture’s Future –Wisconsin Farm Safety & Health Week. Reprinted and released by the National Farm Medicine Center. September 20, 2022. https://www.marshfieldresearch.org/nfmc-news/protecting-agriculture-s-future-wisconsin-farm-safety-health-week

11) Shutske, J. primary source. (2022). Resources to Support Farmers and Ranchers Dealing with Stress. Nebraska Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources. July 21, 2022. https://cropwatch.unl.edu/2022/resources-support-farmers-and-ranchers-dealing-stress

12) Versweyveld, J, Shutske, J. (2022). Protect your lungs from invisible hazards. Progressive Dairy. December 9, 2022. https://www.agproud.com/articles/56489-protect-your-lungs-from-invisible-hazards

13) Versweyveld, J, Shutske, J. (2022). Keeping your people cool and comfortable is key to good health. Progressive Dairy. July 21, 2022. https://www.agproud.com/articles/54157-keeping-your-people-cool-and-comfortable-is-key-to-good-health

14) Shutske, J. (2022). Farmer mental health, marketing and product placement. Wisconsin State Farmer. June 7, 2022. https://www.wisfarmer.com/story/opinion/columnists/2022/06/07/farmer-mental-health-marketing-and-product-placement/7543921001/

15) Shutske, J. (2022). Can farmers match airlines’ safety record? Hoard’s Dairyman. August 11, 2022. https://hoards.com/article-32363-can-farmers-match-airlines-safety-record.html

16) Shutske, J. (2022). Five high-impact actions can reduce injuries. Hoard’s Dairyman. March 14, 2022. https://hoards.com/article-31639-five-high-impact-actions-can-reduce-injuries.html

17) Shutske, J. primary source. (2022). Top 5 farm safety tips revealed. Farm Progress publications podcast. September 23, 2022. https://www.farmprogress.com/safety/top-5-farm-safety-tips-revealed

18) Shutske, J. primary source. (2022). Put on your pilot’s cap and prepare for a safer harvest season! September 15, 2022. http://umash.umn.edu/spotlight-put-on-your-pilots-cap-and-prepare-for-a-safer-harvest-season/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=spotlight-put-on-your-pilots-cap-and-prepare-for-a-safer-harvest-season

19) Shutske, J. primary source. (2022). Ag faces challenges in adopting robot, autonomous future. FarmWeek. November 21, 2022. https://www.farmweeknow.com/general/ag-faces-challenges-in-adopting-robot-autonomous-future/article_40c224e0-65f8-11ed-971a-137657318694.html

20) Shutske, J. (2022). Safety expert (Cheryl Skjolaas) has a long and productive career. Wisconsin Custom Operator. July 28, 2022. https://wiscustomoperators.org/news-and-events/details/81-Safety-expert-has-long-and-productive-career

21) Weichelt B, Burke R, Shutske J. (2022). 2020 Wisconsin Farm Related Fatalities. Marshfield, WI. Marshfield Clinic Research Institute

22) Weichelt B, Burke R, Shutske J. (2022). 2019 Wisconsin Farm Related Fatalities. Marshfield, WI. Marshfield Clinic Research Institute.

 Committee efforts have generated the development of a new course (Safety and Heath in Agriculture) and provided 16 weeks of instruction to four undergraduate students and one graduate student.

Co-organized the third annual Southwest Centers Pilot Program Symposium, highlighting the work of pilot and feasibility study researchers from two NIOSH-funded Centers - the Southwest Center for Agricultural Health, Injury Prevention and Education, and the Southwest Center for Occupational and Environmental Health. This will be held online on June 16, 2023. Additional training-related activities occurred in Sweden, Kenya, and Uganda.

 Committee members have contributed and delivered In-Service Training (IST) statewide for County Extension Faculty on Teaching Youth Agricultural Safety, Organized and delivered Tractor Driving Course in collaboration with County Extension faculty,

 Published factsheets, created visuals (program website, reports, handouts, fact sheets, infographics, etc.), Contributed youth safety days by providing training on machinery safety, tractor safety, ATV safety, zero-turn mower safety etc.

 Other members presented research/extension outcomes at meetings which included 10 events:

1. Postharvest Technology of Horticultural Crops Short Course, Invited Speaker, UC Davis, May 23, 2022.
2. Hybrid ISASH, Invited Speaker, Fort Collins, Colorado, June 12-16, 2022. View this Workshop, Conference, Presentation or Short Course
3. W3009: Integrated Systems Research and Development in Automation and Sensors for Sustainability of Specialty Crops, Presenter, W3009 members, UC Davis and Virtual, June 23-24, 2022.
4. Agricultural ATV Safety Symposium, Organizer, Virtual via Zoom, June 28, 2022, 210 Attendees.
5. ASABE 2022 Annual International Meeting, Presenter, Houston, TX, July 17-20, 2022
6. SAFER AG Workshop, Co-Organizer and Presenter, Urbana, IL, Nov 9-10, Urbana, IL Attendees.
7. CALOSHA Agricultural Equipment Safety, Organizer, CAl/OSHA officers form Region 2, UC Davis, WCAE, Feb 7, 2023, 16 Attendees.
8. COEH Builds Bridges: Algorithm Based Work, Wearables, and Surveillance, Participant, Sacramento, Feb 3-4, 2023, 30 Attendees. View this Workshop, Conference, Presentation or Short Course
9. ATV safety exhibition in UC Davis Field Ag day, Other, High school student, UC Davis, March 4, 2023, 52 Attendees.
10. Emerging Technology in Agriculture: Keeping Health and Safety at the Forefront, Organizer, Industry, Academia, Government, Farmers, Farmworkers representatives, UC Davis, May 11, 2023, 40 Attendees.

Currently, other members are in the process of revising Youth Safe Farm curriculum to be implemented as WVU Extension program.

 Through the NEASHC, the state representative from each state is invited to the annual in-person training where they attend a 2-3 day training and receive a demonstration and lesson plan. In addition to the in-person annual meeting, all members are invited to participate in quarterly Zoom meetings/trainings and receive a quarterly eNewsletter providing them with resources to use in their programming. 17 safe grain handling hands-on seminars were taught over the past 12 months to roughly 4,579 high students and 52 new and beginning young farmers. 17 tractor safety programs including information about the ROPS Rebate program were provided over the past 12 months to roughly 4,579 high school students.

 Over 10,272 safe grain handling safety brochures were handed out at seven agricultural-related events: county fairs, Ag Connect, Western Farm Show, Dairy Expo, and Missouri State Fair. In 2022 the mental health programs have served 1,554 farm community members in 114 of 114 Missouri counties and the City of St. Louis.

 The Farm and Ranch Stress team provided 84 behavioral health workshops serving 1,554 community members, 32 Stakeholders and Partners, and disseminated 125 press releases.

 Through MU Extension’s Farm and Ranch Stress programs and five different field-tested workshops, rural participants are equipped with tools to improve their mental health, are connected to useful mental health resources, and participants gain access to free one-on-one telepsychology sessions.

 The OSU Agricultural Safety and Health Program's website was developed specifically for curriculum and educational resources, and to share Ohio's agricultural surveillance data. In 2022, this website had over 22,000 users with 36,800 page views. The program's Facebook page provided social media posts regarding agricultural safety to 1,500 followers.

 A farm stress webpage is also available on an OSU Extension maintained site to share resources and services for farmers, not just on personal health issues, but also financial management, farm succession planning, and emergency management topics. In the first six months of public availability, the Farm Stress website had 850 visitors. Farm safety articles were published in popular press magazines and newsletters. Publication outlets targeted included Ohio Country Journal (circulation of 21,239 households), eFields Report (12,500 views online and printed copies), OSU Extension Agronomic Team C.O.R.N. Newsletter (5,295 subscribers), and the Agricultural Safety Ag STAT Newsletter (with 4,400 webpage views).

 Farm safety and disability were highlighted in national radio and television productions. The nationally syndicated Ag PhD Radio is available through SiriusXM and the OSU South Centers television and YouTube production reached 1.78K subscribers.

 In 2022, the Agricultural Safety & Health Program at The Ohio State University shared/delivered injury prevention programs and communications to target audiences through five primary ways.

1) Data were made available through the OSU Agricultural Safety and Health Program's website, the AgrAbility website, and the Farm Stress website to be used by safety & health educators, public health officials, insurance risk coordinators and the media.

2) Popular press articles were written for rural and agricultural readers, as well as for re-distribution in county Extension newsletters.

3) Injury prevention programs were developed around Ohio surveillance reports to curb agricultural injuries and fatalities.

4) Conference presentations were given on the state, national and international level by project staff and graduate students.

5) Surveillance information and prevention strategies were shared with government officials in support of public policy efforts to support upcoming legislative bills.

 Additonal outputs include 2022 ISASH presentation to share on evaluating the impact of a train-the-trainer program for effectively disseminating tractor and machinery safety content 2022 ISASH presentation to share equine assessment procedures in a professional association of therapeutic horsemanship international programs 2022 ASABE presentation to share innovations in engine design and cab structures of agricultural equipment:

 Considerations for noise exposure 2022 ASABE presentation to share development and validation of a basic ground skills assessment (BGSA) for injury risk prevention in equine-assisted services 2022 NAAE presentation to share the development of digital learning tools: Nearpod and VR. 2022 Safety For Emerging Robotics and Autonomous aGriculture (SAFER AG) Workshop presentation to share the workforce impacts of greater automation and technology usage in food and agriculture.

Activities:

One individual committee member has taught, coordinated, or was an invited speaker in 27 different Extension outreach programs, events, and sessions including both live (in person) and online, typically 30-90 minutes up to multi-day events such as the SaferAG workshop at the University of Illinois. In tracking these events,  Extension teaching efforts into two categories—safety/risk and mental health (farm stress). The audience size in total was 2,352. This included 2139 participating in safety/risk-related programs and 213 in farm stress and mental health.

 Based on funding, new partnerships, and the need to align with new centers and partners, this trend toward more focus on safety and risk and less on farm mental health will continue.

 A capstone engineering design class on issues of safe design, standards, and risk assessment. Professional development course in engineering ethics that includes a focus on safety.

 Moore, K. G. (2023, March). Understanding the Operational Risks Associated with Respiratory Allergens. Ontario Agri Business Association 2023 Operations Forum. Elora, Canada. Moore, K. G. (2023, March).

 Creating a Positive Safety Culture. Ontario Agri Business Association 2023 Operations Forum. Elora, Canada. T

 Training 3 graduate students and providing instruction to over 85 undergraduate students on ag safety and health, conducting research on assessing the frequency of bull-related attacks and bunk silo incidents.

 Other efforts include facilitating holistic inclusive agriculture safety and health to serve diverse populations including farmers with disabilities, veteran farmers, socially disadvantaged and limited resources (BIPOC) farmers, new and beginning farmers, elderly and older farmers, and women in agriculture.

 Emerging technologies and safety were also another area of interest. Other activities focus on Sun Safety and Skin cancer prevention program and applied research.

 Grant funding activities for committee members included: 

 FarmWell WI - $200,000

 FRSAN subcontract - $59,000

 USDA- Worker Health project (WI portion) - $210,000

Funding activity for Capabilities and Limitations of Youth Operating Agricultural ATV, CDC/NIOSH, $500K, PI 2020-2025

 Agricultural All-Terrain Vehicle Safety Prevent and Protect the Operator in the Agricultural ATV Rollover Incident, CDC/NIOSH, $1.2M, PI 2022-2027

 Pilot and Feasibility Program for WCAHS, NIOSH/ CDC, $800K, PI 2022-2027,

 The Western Center for Agricultural Health and Safety renewal, NIOSH/ CDC, $11M, Co-PI 2022-2027

 National Children's Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety, NIOSH/CDC, $6M, Co-PI, 2020-2025.

 Additional funding activities included success in securing USDA NIFA and foundation grants, gifts, donations, and in-kind contributions which allow us to provide agricultural safety and health programs. 

Milestones:

Plans are to work with the group to expand outreach to underserved groups and to bring more work on risk, safety, standards, etc. around NEW forms of technology (robotics, autonomous equipment, etc.) to the forefront as a topic for research and eventually educational programming.

 This will be done through a series of publications resulting from the 2022 "SaferAG" workshop on follow-up efforts.

 Promote NCERA 197 National Agenda for Action, specifically through my involvement with the SW Ag Center.

 Contribute to white paper development concerning safety issues relevant to autonomous agriculture. Continue to instruct undergraduate and graduate students in agricultural safety and health.

 Engage students in relevant research activities. Partner with other researchers to try and restart AgrAbility program in Oklahoma.

 Engage in research related to respiratory protection among agricultural workers. Remain supportive and open to collaboration wherever the opportunity affords to do so.

 Promote NCERA 197 National Agenda for Action Document. Contribution to the white paper related to Robotics and New technology Safety and health in Agriculture (If any) –

 Work toward completion of the revision of the WVU Extension Youth Safe Farm curriculum and disseminate to agents across the state of WV –

 Publish articles from dissertation research in the area of ATV safety training effectiveness –

 Share resources gained from NCERA-197 committee with WVU Extension Youth Safety working group to disseminate to agents across the state of WV –

 Continue to train WVU Extension agents/specialists as ASI ATV Safety certified instructors and offer ASI ATV safety curriculum training. Goals to have members be more involved with NCERA-197 in regards to participating in sub-committees.

 Future goals include ROPS, PPE, Tractor, Livestock, emerging technologies, diversity and inclusion plus equity and equality.

 Increase OSU Extension personnel’s capacity to respond to emergencies, including train derailments and overturned livestock trailers. Both programs entail tabletop and/or hands-on educational approaches. Prepare application and seek approval for tractor certification courses to be included on the Ohio Department of Education’s website as an industry-recognized credential for the Department of Labor.

 Continue to build upon VR experiences for young worker training programs, adding to the online application suite of available programs. Publish the results of the study in a peer-reviewed journal Recruit a graduate student

 Collect data analysis on the training of youth machinery operators Develop and refine curriculum for at-risk populations of agricultural workers

 Disseminate results through professional and trade publications outlets