North Carolina Agromedicine Institute programs are focused on making the day-to-day lives of farmers, fishermen, foresters their workers and families safer and healthier. If you have a specific safety or health need or simply need advice on how to make your operation generally safer and healthier, contact us. Services are provided at no or minimal cost. And, not to worry – the Institute is strictly educational – not regulatory or advocacy. We do not report any concerns to any agency - we simply give you information to correct hazards and improve health and wellness.
If you have a specific need that the following programs do not address, let us know. We would be happy to develop a program just for you.
Certified Safe Farm: Saving Lives, Improving Health, and Lowering Costs on North Carolina Farms
Certified Safe Farm is a comprehensive agricultural health and safety program for farmers, family members, and employees that saves lives, prevents injury, improves health, and saves costs! In North Carolina, the program involves:
In North Carolina, the program is a collaboration of NC State University, NC Cooperative Extension and the NC Agromedicine Institute.
Certified Safe Farm VideoTo schedule your safety review, contact the Institute at agromedicine@ecu.edu or 252-744-1008.
BACK TO TOPDo you currently operate or are you thinking about starting an agritourism operation? The Institute can work with you to identify risks to child health and safety, provide suggestions for eliminating risks and assist with training staff who will be working in agritourism.
Want a head start? Check out our Child Health & Safety in Agritourism guide and the national Integrating Safety into Agritourism website.
Farm Theater was developed at the University of Kentucky by Dr. Deborah Reed with support from the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). The goal of the program is to influence farmers to make behavior changes that will improve their health and the health of their families and to prevent injuries to themselves and others. Community members read from a script based on stories woven from real-life experiences to share serious health & safety messages in a relaxed, non-threatening way. Props are minimal so that the audience can focus on what is being said and not on the set. At the conclusion of the script, a facilitated discussion takes place with the audience about what they heard, how it relates to them and resources they can access for more information. The Institute is pleased to be partnering with Dr. Reed and other colleagues across the US to expand Farm Theater. Expansion is made possible with funds from the Alex & Rita Hillman Foundation. To learn more about Farm Theater click here.
Interested in having a Farm Theater in your area? Contact the Institute at 252.744.1008 or email Dr. Robin Tutor Marcom, tutorr@ecu.edu.
BACK TO TOPThe First on Scene program was designed to teach individuals who are first on scene at a farm incident how to respond safely. The program can be tailored to fit the specific needs of any farm. Our instructors can also provide CPR/AED/First Aid certification through the Health Safety Institute, which is an OSHA-compliant training program. The two distinct programs vary depending on the audience:
To learn more about First on Scene, contact the Institute at agromedicine@ecu.edu or 252-744-1008
BACK TO TOPThe goal of Fit to Farm is to improve the health of North Carolina’s farmers, fishermen, foresters, their workers, and their families using a personalized approach that includes:
Fit to Farm also provides simple tips to manage health and wellness in the workplace using the following modules:
Modules can be delivered individually (15-20 minutes) or all together (90 minutes).
Services can be provided at your location or in another setting you choose. Schedules are flexible so services can be available at a time that is convenient for you. To learn more about Fit to Farm, contact the Institute at 252-744-1008 or email agromedicine@ecu.edu
BACK TO TOPThe Grain Safety / Grain Rescue Program was developed with two main audiences:
Programs for farmers and farm workers are primarily safety programs to inform of the hazards, and teach safe grain handling strategies. These vary from 1-4 hours, depending on the needs of the individuals present.
Programs for Fire Fighters and first responders vary from 1-12 hours and consist of safety programs to inform of the hazards, to full hands-on rescue programs. Interested in offering grain safety or rescue instruction? Reach out to the NC Agromedicine Institute to learn about train-the-trainer opportunities and teaching grain safety and rescue in your community.
For links to other resources on Grain Safety, visit our resources page.
Whatever your needs for grain safety programs, contact the Institute at agromedicine@ecu.edu or 252-744-1008
Mini grants are available to assist farms growing specialty crops with cleaning/sanitation equipment and supplies, portable hand washing stations, field sanitation stations with handwashing capability, fire extinguishers, smoke detectors and first aid kits. Funds can also be used to replace mattress covers and mattresses in migrant housing.
Priority for funding is given to producers who:
For more information, click here
To apply for a mini grant, click here
The North Carolina AgrAbility Program is a federally funded project whose mission is to provide individuals farming with a disability with the education and assistance they need to live successful lives in production agriculture or agriculture-related occupations.
AgrAbility is sponsored by the U.S.D.A and consists of national, state (currently serving 24 states) and regional projects. Each of these projects involves collaborative partnerships between land grant universities and various non-profit disability service organizations.
NC AgrAbility is a collaborative partnership between North Carolina A&T State University, North Carolina Agromedicine Institute, North Carolina Assistive Technology Project and Disability Partners.
NC AgrAbility Partnership has a wide variety of services to offer thanks to the many specialties of our partners. If you or someone you know could benefit from AgrAbility services or would like to learn more about this program please email Beatriz (Betty) Rodriguez at bmrodrig@ncat.edu or 336-285-4680. You can also learn more at www.ncagrability.org or the National AgrAbility Website.
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