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
78 episodes
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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...
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Season 4
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Episode 18
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32:07
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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...
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Season 4
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Episode 17
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14:15
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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...
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Season 4
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Episode 16
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17:10
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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, ...
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Season 4
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Episode 15
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17:57
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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...
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Season 4
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Episode 14
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21:33
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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...
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Season 4
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Episode 13
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20:09
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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...
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Season 4
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Episode 12
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20:44
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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...
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Season 4
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Episode 11
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17:29
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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...
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Season 4
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Episode 10
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16:43
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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...
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Season 4
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Episode 9
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16:14
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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...
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Season 4
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Episode 8
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17:50
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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...
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Season 4
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Episode 7
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14:47
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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...
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Season 4
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Episode 6
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15:01
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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...
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Season 4
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Episode 5
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20:24
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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...
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Season 4
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Episode 4
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16:08
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Burning Issues: Fire Safety on the Farm
In this episode, we're joined by Fire Chief Jerry Minor, who shares invaluable insights on fire safety and prevention specifically tailored for farms. With years of experience in fire management, Jerry Minor discusses the unique fire risks that...
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Season 4
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Episode 3
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18:01
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Farming the Message: Reporting Agricultural Incidents
In this episode, we explore the important role that terminology plays in how agricultural injuries and fatalities are reported in the media. Dr. Barbara Lee and Melissa Ploeckelman, from the National Children's Center for Rural and Ag Health an...
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Season 4
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Episode 2
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13:31
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Welcome to Season 4!
We kick off the new Season 4 of the FarmSafe Podcast. Our Season 3 host, Libby Ritchie, returns to chat with Center Director Renee Anthony to talk about the new format for Season 4. In this September 2024 episode drop, we are highlighting episo...
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Season 4
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Episode 1
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13:02
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Lessons on Lyme
In our last episode of this season, we spoke with Scott Heiberger, Communications Manager of the National Farm Medicine Center. He wrote about his and his wife's experience with Lyme disease in his 2019 Spotlight for the Upper Midwest Agricultu...
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Season 3
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Episode 17
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17:17
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Got Ticks? How and Why to Take Action
Mandy Roome, PhD, is a researcher at the Northeast Center for Occupational Health and Safety. Her current project is on tick-borne diseases on Vermont farms. She shares about the tick-borne diseases common to each region and how farmers can pro...
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Season 3
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Episode 16
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13:54
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Safe Practices around Overhead Power Lines
Electricity is one of the “silent killers” in agriculture. There are many ways to come in contact with it, and without an understanding of common electrical hazards, farmers can get hurt. Libby speaks with Ann Augspurger from Safe Electricity o...
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Season 3
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Episode 15
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19:04
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Support for Farmers' Mental Health and Well-Being
Did you know May is National Mental Health Awareness Month? We have a few voices on today's episode to discuss farmers' mental health. First, you'll hear from Kentucky farmer Quint Pottinger, owner of Affinity Farms. Then, Emily Krekelberg, Min...
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Season 3
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Episode 14
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15:37
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Exploring the Multi-Generational Perspective on Health and Safety with The Millennial Farmer
Zach Johnson is the Minnesota Millennial Farmer. His YouTube account has over 1 million dedicated subscribers, and he is passionate about ag education — as are we! He has used his channel to promote organizations like Farm Rescue and Nationwide...
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Season 3
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Episode 13
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16:45
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Community Building for Rural Response to Emergencies
In this episode, we will explore the topic of emergency preparedness and response in the rural environment. Brian Feist, BSN, RN, and Emergency Preparedness Clinical Subject Matter Expert, and Dr. Richard Sidwell, trauma surgeon at Iowa Methodi...
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Season 3
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Episode 12
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20:17
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General Farm Emergency Preparedness
This episode focuses on emergency preparedness on the farm. We talked with extension educator and dairy farmer, Emily Krekelberg, about general tips that can help farmers plan for emergency situations. During the episode, we share information o...
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Season 3
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Episode 11
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16:38