AgriSafe Member Community C0ming Soon!
A new member benefit is coming! We are working behind the scenes to design an online platform for our members to connect, engage, and learn with fellow members of the AgriSafe Community.

The new features of this online community include:
  1. Discussions! Now members will have the ability to communicate and connect on important topics with fellow members.
  2. Resource sharing. All attachments posted to discussions are archived in a dedicated Resource Library. Members can also add documents directly to the library.
  3. Member Directory search. Individuals can find members by name, location, company, or area of interest so that they can connect with other individuals in the agricultural safety and health industry.

Members will be subscribed to the Daily Digest version of the AgriSafe Community, meaning they'll get emails about information that is specifically of interest to them! A notification message will be sent out when the community officially launches, so look for that first digest email. If you have any questions, please contact us.
COVID-19 Bivalent Boosters
Boosters are an important part of protecting yourself or your child from getting seriously ill or dying from COVID-19. Individuals ages 6 months and older should receive one updated (bivalent) booster, if they are eligible, including those who are moderately or severely immunocompromised.

Listen in as AgriSafe team members share their reasons for receiving the COVID-19 bivalent booster. For more information click here.
AgriSafe Nurse Scholar Spotlight
Victoria is a lifelong farm girl sharing a small homestead with her husband. Together they raise Leicester Longwool sheep, chickens, goats, and horses. Her nursing background is Emergency Department, Same Day Surgery, and currently, she serves as a semi-retired Medical Command Nurse with New Jersey Paramedics in two counties. She is an American Heart Association Advanced Cardiac Life Support, Pediatric Advanced Life Support Instructor, and Co-founder of Mission Hope NJ. She has been involved with agriculture her entire life and was thrilled to find the AgriSafe Nurse Scholar program. She felt it was the perfect opportunity to broaden her understanding of the unique health and safety issues within her community.  

Victoria saw a need for the First Responders to gain an increased awareness of the health and safety risks within her unique and often isolated community. Specifically, how those situations would impact their response; scene safety, language barriers, identification and treatment of illness/injury, decontamination considerations, transport, and transfer of care to an appropriate receiving facility. She developed and presented two education modules for the National Conference on EMS in New Jersey in November 2022 (Recognition and Management of Pesticide Poisoning and Health Risks in Agriculture). AgriSafe is very thankful for all of Victoria's contributions to protecting the health and safety of workers in agriculture!

Interested in taking the AgriSafe Nurse Scholar Program? Click here for more information.
Talking TFH® Podcast: National AgrAbility Project
This month on Talking Total Farmer Health, we hear from Paul Jones about the National AgrAbility Project, where they are dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural workers who have disabilities or functional limitations. In this episode, you will find out more about AgrAbility, what their application process looks like, and how they can help! You will also receive a number of resources for social services, assistive technology, and more! Listen to the latest episode or subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify to get notified when our episodes are released!

If you like our podcast, tell us by using the following hashtag on your socials!: #TTFHpod
Meet Our Newest Intern: Ashley Ries
Ashley Ries, OTS, is from Nebraska and currently lives in Arkansas. Ashley received her bachelor’s degree in psychology, with a minor in applied behavioral sciences, from the University of Kansas. Currently, she is pursuing a doctorate degree in Occupational Therapy at the University of St. Augustine’s in Austin, TX, where she is on course to graduate in April 2023. For her doctoral capstone, Ashley is developing an OT manualized intervention protocol that utilizes mindfulness for veterans with PTSD. Right now, Ashley is interning at AgriSafe, where she is working to recruit OTs and other healthcare professionals for AgriSafe’s continuing education programs, including FarmResponse®. In addition, she is planning to review and update existing resources pertaining to yoga, Pilates, and more, that contribute to Total Farmer Health®.  

After obtaining her OTD, Ashley plans to start her career working in a hospital rehab setting. In the future, she would like to shift to a role that allows her to apply her interests of mental health, ergonomics, and workplace health and safety.  
AgriSafe in Action
National Black Growers Council 2022 Annual Meeting
On December 15th, AgriSafe’s Public Health and Equity Director, Knesha Rose-Davison served as the opening keynote to the National Black Growers Council’s (NBGC) Annual Meeting in Memphis, TN. Her presentation highlighted the Total Farmer Health® worker safety model, emerging challenges to ag workers in rural and ag communities including mental health and suicide prevention, and community-based resources that provide information for rural residents, growers, farmers, and farmworkers.

According to a 2017 United States Department of Agriculture ( USDA ) census, of the 3.4 million farmers across the country, only 1.3 percent (45,508) identify as Black, compared to 95 percent who identify as Caucasian. The NBGC represents multigenerational producers who advocate for the best interests of Black farmers in the United States and abroad. AgriSafe is pleased to partner with NBGC and offers resources for the health and safety of its members, our partnership has continued to evolve since first introduced in 2020.
National Blood Donor Month
On December 31, 1969, President Richard Nixon signed designated January as National Blood Donor Month (NBDM). The month of January is usually a period of critical blood shortages. According to the American Red Cross, someone in the U.S. needs blood every 2 seconds. These winter months can be the most difficult for blood centers because there is a shortage of blood donations due to harsh weather conditions, holidays, and individuals getting sick. Since platelets must be used within 5 days of donation, there is a constant need for platelet donors.

Help ensure that this lifesaving resource is readily available to patients during this time, find a location to give blood, and schedule your donation appointment today.

Click here for more information about National Blood Donor Month.
AgriSafe Webinar Opportunities
January 18, 2023
12 PM - 1:30 PM CT
Upcoming Events in Agriculture
Call for Abstracts: ISASH 2023
The International Society for Agricultural Safety and Health (ISASH) invites abstract submissions for the 2023 Annual Conference in Tampa, Florida (June 18 - 21). The 2023 theme is “The sun shines to it all: Sharing responsibility for agricultural health and safety”. Click here for more information.
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8342 NICC Drive, Peosta, IA 52068
Phone: (866) 312-3002