“It’s unfortunate that it sometimes takes an incident or close call to motivate producers to put in place farm safety measures,”

said Marcel Hacault, executive director of the Canadian Agriculture Safety Association (CASA), a non-profit organization formed in 1993 to respond to health and safety issues in agriculture.

“It’s even more unfortunate if they don’t take action to prevent incidents from happening again,” he said.

The survey, conducted from Feb. 10-21, found that seven in 10 producers (72 percent) have had an incident resulting in an injury or close call on their operation at some point in their lifetime, and a quarter (24 percent) of producers report having had one within the last year.

It also showed that producers who have had a safety incident on the farm are no more likely to access safety information or develop a safety plan than those who haven’t had an incident. However, a growing number of producers recognize their work is not done safely all of the time.

“Awareness is usually the first step toward taking preventative action,”

Hacault said.

“It’s not only obvious dangers that pose risk. There are often hidden hazards that can harm you, an employee or a family member.”

The survey showed only one in 10 producers (14 percent) surveyed indicated they have a written safety plan for their operation and 70 percent of those with plans felt it is effective in preventing injuries.

Hacault said a safety plan serves as an inventory of the various hazards that exist on the farm and sets out practices and procedures to prevent close calls or injuries from happening. It only takes one moment of distraction, fatigue, or complacency to change a person’s life forever.

Seeding and harvest are among the most dangerous times of the year since many producers are working long hours and are racing against the clock to get the job done.

“Producers have to remember that the most valuable asset on any farm is the people who do the work,”

Hacault said.

“By taking care of ourselves and those around us, we are contributing to our long-term success in both business and life.”

Producers can access safety information or training from a variety of organizations, including industry associations, provincial agriculture safety associations, agriculture suppliers, government, and non-profit agencies, such as CASA, Red Cross, and St. John Ambulance.

FCC is a long-time supporter of CASA and its safety awareness initiatives, including Canadian Agricultural Safety Week. It is also a proud supporter of other farm safety programs, such as the Back to Ag Program that supports the cost of adaptive technology for farmers that have experienced a traumatic injury.

A total of 1,239 FCC Vision panelists involved in agriculture production from across Canada participated in the study. With a 78 percent response rate, the margin of error for this survey is +/- three percent at a standard 95 percent confidence level.

Source: Farm Credit Canada

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Planned in close consultation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the first meeting of the Task Force for Reviewing Connectivity and Technology Needs of Precision Agriculture is set for Monday, December 9, at 9:30 a.m. in the Commission Meeting Room at FCC Headquarters. Chairman Pai has designated Teddy Bekele, Land O’Lakes Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, to serve as Chair of the Task Force, and Catherine Moyer, Pioneer Communications Chief Executive Officer and General Manager, to serve as Vice-Chair.

“There is an urgent and growing demand for broadband from America’s farmers and ranchers” said, Chairman Pai. “As I’ve seen for myself in places like Rifle, Colorado, King Hill, Idaho, and Charles City, Virginia, farmers and ranchers are using connected technologies to collect real-time data in the field, make the most efficient use of resources like water, fuel, and seed, and increase yields, all to the benefit of American consumers. Making modern networks available from coast to coast is the FCC’s top priority.”

“The Task Force’s recommendations and reports will enable us to help America’s food producers deliver more, better, and cheaper goods to the table.”

The Task Force is a federal advisory committee and was created by the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018, which includes provisions directing the FCC to work with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to develop policy recommendations to promote the rapid, expanded deployment of broadband Internet access service on agricultural land where service is not available. Federal advisory committees were established by Congress to provide federal agencies with outside, expert advice on policy matters.

Source: Federal Communications Commission

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