FarmSafe Podcast
In the blink of an eye a farm injury can change your life. Sharing stories of events, close-calls, and effective safety strategies can help you identify on farm risks and figure out ways to prevent devastating injuries and illnesses. The Great Plains Center for Agricultural Health presents FarmSafe, a podcast dedicated to sharing stories and tips to help make your work on the farm safer and healthier. Original music for the FarmSafe podcast was written and performed by Ben Schmidt. This work was funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as part of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health’s Great Plains Center for Agricultural Health. The content does not necessarily represent the official views of the CDC or NIOSH.
Episodes
88 episodes
Herd Health and Alpha-Gal: Managing Ticks on Midwest Farms
Ticks are becoming a growing concern across the Midwest as species like the Lone Star tick and Asian Longhorned tick expand their range northward. In this episode, FarmSafe explores what that means for both livestock producers and rura...
Ticks on the Rise, Part 2: Prevention and Detection for Farmers
In this episode, we continue our conversation on the growing threat of tick-borne diseases for farmers across Iowa and the Midwest. Building on our previous discussion with Dr. Kathryn Dalton from the University of Iowa College of Public Health...
Ticks on the Rise, Part 1: Why Farmers Should Pay Attention
In this episode, we explore why tick-borne diseases are becoming an emerging concern across Iowa and the Midwest, particularly for farmers and other outdoor workers. Dr. Kathryn Dalton from the University of Iowa College of Public Health joins ...
Protecting Youth in Agriculture: Inside the 2025 National Action Plan
In this episode, FarmSafe sits down with Andrea Swenson, director of the National Children’s Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety, to discuss the newly updated 2025 National Action Plan for Childhood Agricultural Safety....
The Tipping Point: Understanding Tractor Stability
As farmers return to the fields, this FarmSafe episode brings attention to tractor rollover risks. We bring in Aaron Yoder to explain the basics about a vehicle’s center of gravity, which is important to understand both with and withou...
The 40 Percent Problem: Heart Health in Rural America
In this episode, Jenn Patterson sits down with Tim Nikolai, Senior Rural Health Director for the American Heart Association’s Midwest region, to discuss why rural communities face higher risks of heart disease and stroke and what can be done to...
How Farmers Get Hurt: Insights from Iowa's Trauma Registry
Jon Davis, a researcher and assistant professor at the University of Iowa’s College of Public Health has released an updated analysis of more than 3,700 farm-related injuries treated in Iowa hospitals between 2017 and 2023, using the state’s un...
The Mechanics of Injury: Understanding Hazards of Farm Equipment
Dr. Renee Anthony joins us to unpack new Iowa trauma registry data showing that machine interactions account for roughly a quarter of farm-related hospital visits, more than half of all amputations, and a third of crushing injuries. While PTO s...
Pediatric Injury Prevention: A Focus on Rural Communities
In this episode, Dr. Jenna Gibbs and Libby Ritchie join Lauren Lavin, host of the College of Public Health’s student podcast at the University of Iowa, to explore the realities of pediatric agricultural injuries. They discuss why injuries remai...
A New Chapter: Season 5 of the FarmSafe Podcast
In the season five kickoff of the FarmSafe Podcast, host Libby Ritchie and Center Director Renee Anthony, preview a packed year of conversations focused on improving health and safety in agriculture. This season features insights from ...
Want to Make a Podcast? Lessons Learned from the FarmSafe Hosts
Have you ever considered podcasting? The current and former FarmSafe hosts from seasons 1-4 are back to chat about what they learned from making the FarmSafe Podcast. They provide tips for interviewing, including fighting off nerves and creatin...
Teaching Safety to the Next Generation of Farmers
Carolyn Sheridan, Executive Director of the Ag Health and Safety Alliance, describes the Gear Up for Ag program focused on educating the next generation of farmers and agricultural workers on health and safety. The program, tailored for various...
Tips from Farm Youth Educators
Jana Davidson, program manager for the Progressive Agriculture Foundation, and Marsha Cheyney, outreach specialist for the Great Plains Center for Agricultural Health, discuss their strategies for agricultural safety outreach programs. Davidson...
Pilot Spotlight – Safety Conversations between Farm Parents and Youth
Former FarmSafe host, Anna Proctor, PhD, is back to discuss her pilot project with the Great Plains Center. Her study looks at conversations between parent-child dyads to determine how safety behaviors are passed on through modeling, training, ...
Rabies Safety in the Midwest
In this episode, Andrew Hennenfent, Iowa’s State Public Health Veterinarian, expertly walks us through rabies risk assessment and prevention strategies tailored specifically to agritourism farms. We also hear from Carrie Klumb, Senior Epidemiol...
Harnessing Fire for Farm Health
Prescribed fire has evolved from ancient, indigenous land care to a modern toolbox in conservation and sustainable agriculture. Mechanization and chemical substitutes led to its decline, but renewed interest—rooted in both ecological science an...
What’s Happening with Automated Driving Systems on Rural Roadways
Omar Ahmad, Deputy Director of the Driving Safety Research Institute at the University of Iowa, discusses his recent project focused on automated driving systems (ADS) in rural America. This episode discusses the challenges of deploying automat...
Farm Burn Basics: First Aid for the Field
This episode discusses fire safety and first aid procedures, particularly relevant to farm settings. A key takeaway is the importance of prevention in avoiding injuries and fires. Our expert, Pittsville Fire Chief, Jerry Minor, emphasizes a pro...
Growing Safely, Part 3: Closing the Child Care Access Gap
While useful tools and educational programs are being developed to address childcare needs and farm child safety, there are still many social, practical, and monetary challenges to overcome. Dr. Florence Becot joins us again to wrap up our thre...
Growing Safely, Part 2: Balancing Farming & Family
Farm families face similar childcare access and affordability challenges as other working families nationwide, yet research on their specific experiences and needs is limited. Existing research lacks a deep understanding of how farm families ac...
Growing Safely, Part 1: Navigating Childcare Access and Farm Safety
Many farmworkers, particularly those in rural areas, have faced difficulties finding affordable, reliable childcare options due to the demands of farm work, which often includes long, irregular hours. Rural communities often lack sufficient chi...
Flock & Flu: Guidelines for Backyard Poultry
In this episode, we sit down with Ellen Duysen, research assistant professor at the UNMC College of Public Health and coordinator of the Central States Center for Agricultural Safety and Health, to discuss the importance of raising backyard pou...
The Farm-Kid Paradox
Dr. Barbara Lee and Melissa Ploeckelman are joining us again for this episode, The Farm-Kid Paradox, focusing on how to keep children and youth safe while working and living on the farm. The episode covers best practices for educating young far...
The Seed of Success: Growing Your Farm's Future
In this episode, we tackle the topic of succession planning for family farms. Our guest, Joy Kirkpatrick, a seasoned professional in farm management and succession planning, shares expert advice on how to navigate the often complex process of t...
Falls on Farms: The Medication Connection
In this podcast, we delve into the issue of medication-related falls among farmers, highlighting the risks that medications pose when mixed with the physically demanding nature of farming. Our expert for this episode, Dr. Ryan Carnahan, is curr...