Webinar on farmworker housing safety

Dec 05, 2024
By Farms.com

Enhancing safety in farmworker residences

Farmworker housing presents unique challenges for rural fire departments, particularly in fire code inspections and emergency responses. Many first responders lack familiarity with the specific mandates governing farmworker housing, creating potential gaps in safety and preparedness.

To address these issues, a free webinar will be held on Dec. 6 from noon to 1 p.m. (Central Time). The session aims to educate firefighters, first responders, and health and safety professionals about incident prevention, emergency response, and housing standards relevant to farmworkers. The goal is to enhance risk mitigation and emergency planning within agricultural communities.

The event is co-hosted by the Rural Firefighters Delivering Agricultural Safety and Health (RF-DASH) program from the National Farm Medicine Center, Marshfield Clinic Research Institute, and the National Center for Farmworker Health. Registration is required to attend. For details and to register, visit the Farmworker Housing and Firefighters Webinar – RF-DASH website.

Featured speakers include:

Casper Bendixsen, Director, National Farm Medicine Center

Bethany Alcauter, Director, Research and Public Health Programs, National Center for Farmworker Health

Aaron Andre, Fire Prevention Coordinator, Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services

Kathryn Mueller, Chief, Migrant and Seasonal Farmworker Program, Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development

Dennis Dederich, Chief, Vesper Volunteer Fire Department

Jerry Minor, Chief, Pittsville Fire Company

The U.S. has an estimated 2.9 million agricultural workers, including seasonal and migrant farmworkers. A significant portion live in crowded or employer-provided housing, highlighting the importance of safety education and preparedness efforts.

Video: Alberta Honey: A Day at Molenkamp Honey Farms

When was the last time you read the label on your honey?

We spent a day at Molenkamp Honey Farms with Michael Molenkamp, who has been keeping bees for 17 seasons and runs three to four thousand hives. In mid-September, he was finishing treatments and getting his bees ready for winter, and he walked us through how Alberta honey gets made.

Alberta has just 150 commercial beekeepers running 300,000 colonies, and together they produce 40% of Canada’s honey. Long summer days and golden canola fields give Alberta honey a light flavour that’s hard to match anywhere else.

Molenkamp calls Alberta beekeepers some of the most resilient farmers he knows. There’s plenty of Alberta honey to go around, but a lot on our shelves isn’t from here, so his ask is simple. Give the label a second look and choose honey made by Alberta beekeepers, or buy straight from a beekeeper near you.