According to a report from the CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 401 farmers and farm workers died from a work-related injury in 2015, and 12,000 youths were injured on farms in 2014. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture recently awarded Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences a grant that will fund programs to help prevent fatalities and serious injuries like these that are associated with farming. The programs will also provide assistance to individuals farming with disabilities or long-term health conditions who wish to continue in agricultural production.
The programs will be executed by AgrAbility for Pennsylvanians, a partnership between Penn State Extension and UCP of Central Pennsylvania, a nonprofit specializing in services for people of all ages with a disability.
“The health and safety of our nation’s agricultural community is of utmost importance,” said Connie Baggett, associate professor of agricultural and extension education, who also serves as principal investigator for AgrAbility for Pennsylvanians. “We are grateful for the financial support from USDA-NIFA so that we may continue to promote quality of life and independence for farmers and farm families with disabilities.”
For more information on this exciting grant and Penn State’s plans, read more here.
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