This week is National Farm Safety and Health Week—an annual reminder for the nation’s farmers to take time prior to harvest to ensure the proper precautions are taken on the farm to keep operators safe. The University of Minnesota’s Upper Midwest Agricultural Safety (UMASH) is one of many organizations nationwide helping spread the word about this important week.

2018 National Farm Safety and Health Week has daily themes that focus on potential areas of danger for farmers. This year focuses on rural roadway safety, mental health and opioid use, child/youth health and safety, confined spaces in agriculture and tractor safety.

UMASH Program Director Bruce Alexander said many themes are reoccurring as important reminders before farmers start long hours during harvest, but this year will take a more direct look at mental health on the farm. Alexander said mental health is an important aspect of Farm Safety and Health Week with farmers combining economic pressures with the normal stress during harvest.

“Mental health is something all populations have a hard time facing, but you don’t want anyone to get to that crisis point,” Alexander said. “When people are undergoing those stressors, we want them to know there are resources they can turn to.”

UMASH is also launching its Farm Safety Partner Campaign as part of the week to encourage individuals and organizations to sign on as farm safety advocates. Farm Safety Partners are asked to share resources released throughout this week on their social channels and in person, and then fill out a form detailing their efforts at the end of Farm Safety and Health Week. Tips on sharing and resources are available here.

In addition to becoming a Farm Safety Partner, all can take part in the week by downloading the “Cultivating the Seeds of Safety” social media toolkit, which has recommended posts and resources to share. All are encouraged to use hashtags #FarmSafety and #NFSHW. You can also follow UMASH on Twitter and Facebook and share their content throughout the week.