Protect your lungs from invisible hazards
Safety considerations to protect dairy farmers and employees from hazards involved with grain dust, manure storage and farm chemicals.
Safety & Health
Use a positive mindset and gratitude to handle daily farm stress
There are many stressors when owning and operating a farm business, and for many of you, a multi-generational farm business. Adopting a positive mindset with a focus on gratitude can help farm business owners better handle these stressors.
Is your dairy ready for disaster?
Whether it’s fire, flood, wind, or injury- a disaster on your farm can cause devastating loss and requires pre-planning to minimize the disruption.
Can farmers match airlines’ safety record?
As the harvest season approaches, put on your pilot’s cap. Get your team together. Pull out your manuals, checklists, and protocols. Be purposeful. Make the changes that need to be made, and make sure all of your team members have their wings! It’s a lot of work, I realize. But as we see from our friends in the airline industry, it does make a difference!
Anhydrous Ammonia-It’s time to review employee safety
Used extensively as a source of nitrogen fertilizer due to its relative ease of application and wide availability, the obvious downside of anhydrous ammonia use is the serious hazard it presents to workers during transfer and application. The word “anhydrous” comes from the Greek, meaning “without water.” Because of the chemical’s strong affinity for water, […]
Effective Farm Safety Training Starts with a Purpose
The top strategies include conducting regular educational meetings, promoting open employer-employee communication and acting in ways that create a workplace culture where safety is accepted, valued and viewed as key to business success.
There’s Opportunity in Those “Close Calls” on your Farm
Farms are busy workplaces with the potential for injury lurking around every bend. A proactive tool to guard against future mishap, and an important part of improving your overall farm safety culture, is “near miss” reporting.
How to avoid the risks of heat stress
Each summer, dairy farm producers and their employees work through days of extreme heat and humidity – often starting in May or June and continuing into September. While we certainly need to protect our dairy cattle during these hot days, it is also an important time to be conscious of how to protect ourselves and our dairy farm workers during summer heat.
What’s the value of being a good boss?
The reduction in stress is a significant benefit of being a “good boss.” Then there’s the fact that well-trained employees take better care of cows and equipment.
Tractor buyer be wary: sourcing used equipment online
Prospective farm equipment buyers today have several sources for finding the right machine for their operation. UW-Madison Extension offers tips for searching online for farm equipment.
Tractor buyer be wary: sourcing used equipment the old fashioned way
Once you’ve decided to buy a piece of farm equipment, your next challenge is sourcing it. UW-Madison Extension provides tips on finding equipment off-line.
Plan for maintenance to avoid costly repairs with tractor ownership
Successful farm tractor ownership requires a plan for scheduled maintenance and repairs as needed. This is especially true when purchasing a used farm tractor. UW-Madison Extension provides tips on keeping a tractor in good working condition.
Consider safety before you purchase a used tractor or farm machine
If you are considering a purchase of a used farm tractor or other machine, even if you are not using it to do traditional farm work, safety must be a prime consideration. UW-Madison Extension provides some critical priority checkpoints to protect the personal safety of yourself, family members, workers and others who might be using the equipment that you purchase.
Farm machinery pre-purchase considerations: needs and economics
Once you have a list of tasks and implements needed to perform those tasks, do some research on the minimum horsepower required to power those implements. UW-Madison Extension provides guidance on choosing a tractor to fit your needs.
Tractor pre-purchase considerations: know your needs
Knowing what jobs tractors are and are not intended for can help you decide if one is necessary for your operation. UW-Madison Extension provides a list of considerations when thinking about purchasing a tractor.
Used tractors and machinery make work easier on farms and large properties
When you’re in the market to buy a used tractor or other piece of equipment, you’ll likely notice the differences in features between older and newer models as you look through sale listings. The good news is that despite all of these changes and the evolution of mechanized technology used in agriculture, tractors and other types of farm equipment are generally built to last. Older farm equipment that is well-maintained can be fully functional though it may lack more modern and important safety, comfort, or technology features.
AgriVision Podcast Episode 5 – Problems taking a toll
Host Katie Wantoch and John Shutske, Professor and Director of UW Center for Agricultural Safety and Health and an Extension Specialist, discuss a farmer’s wife who is worried about her husband and the ongoing struggles with their farm business.
Farm Stress & Decision-Making During Challenging Times
Stress is a double-edged sword. A little stress can serve as a constructive motivator, galvanizing us to action. Too much stress, on the other hand, can damage our health compromise safety and sabotage personal relationships. With the arduous and sometimes volatile conditions we see in agriculture, the risk of too much stress is alarming.
