NC AGROMEDICINE INSTITUTE Ι NEWSLETTER Ι SEPT 2025

Each September, the Institute joins agricultural communities nationwide in celebrating National Farm Safety and Health Week. This year's celebration is September 22-27, 2025. The week is dedicated to raising awareness about the unique risks faced by farmers, farmworkers, and their families, while highlighting practical steps to protect health and safety on the farm. By working together to promote safe practices, we help ensure that those who feed, clothe, and sustain us can thrive for generations to come.

Celebrating National Farm Safety and Health Week

Since 1999, the North Carolina Agromedicine Institute ('the Institute') has worked with community partners—like you and your organization—to direct our efforts, fulfill our mission, and serve the agricultural community. For over 25 years, we have existed for one purpose. We protect agriculture's most important asset: the people living and working in the fields of farming, forestry, and fishing. 

What happens to an agricultural operation when the primary operator or an essential employee is no longer able to work? For farms, the financial cost of a non-fatal farm injury is about $15,000, and the cost of a farm fatality is over $2 million (Adhikari et al., 2024). The loss of life and the trauma attached to these injuries and fatalities are immeasurable. They have a lasting impact on the victim, their family, other workers, the farm, and the farming community as a whole.

At the Institute, we see it as our calling to care for and support the mental and physical well-being of farmers, foresters, fishermen, their workers, and families so they can focus on their calling: caring for NC's natural resources, crops, and livestock. 

When the people who live and work in agriculture thrive, the entire industry thrives. As North Carolina’s #1 economic driver, agriculture not only fuels our state’s economy but also feeds and sustains communities across the nation and beyond. By investing in the health, safety, and well-being of our agricultural workforce, we ensure a stronger future for all—join us in supporting those who provide food, fiber, shelter, and other essential products for us all!

Safety and health investments are essential for agricultural operations, ensuring their long-term profitability and sustainability. Our programs deliver health and safety services and resources that producers can see, feel, and use in their daily lives and for generations to come. Read more about our programs.

Connect with Institute Members, faculty, and others interested in agromedicine, agricultural safety, and health research.

Feature Presentation:

From Auburn University, Dr. Kelli Russell, Assistant Extension Professor in Agricultural Economics & Rural Sociology, will be sharing NC results from the PURR - Publications: Southern Region Household Data. SR-Stat: Baseline Survey 2024

Register in advance for this meeting. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email.

Kelli Russell, PhD

Auburn University

Connect with partners in promoting agricultural safety and health by attending!

Feature Presentation:

Sharon May is a licensed counselor who has been visiting farm families across the globe! She will share her journey, which includes highlights from New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the United States, including NC, and many other states! Sharon's 2025 Nuffield Farming Scholar journey is supported by The Farming Community Network and Lens Light.

Register in advance for this meeting. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Sharon May, MA NSch MBACP MNCPS

Kingsclere Counselling Service

Visit: www.kingsclerecounsellingservice.co.uk

The Institute offers an extensive list of direct services for agricultural operations, including education, outreach, cost-share programs, health screenings, respirator fit testing, and more! We deliver services at Extension offices, farm shows, commodity meetings, and directly to farms. Reach out to schedule a training or service event in your area.

Explore our featured services below or click here for the complete list.

Are you prepared to be the first on-scene to respond to a farm emergency?

Set up a training to receive:

This program has been made available for FREE to farmers and farmworkers with the support of

NC Agromedicine Institute partners with Fourtree Acres Farm to teach life-saving skills in Halifax County, NC. Image Credit: Fourtree Acres Farm

Information to share? Please let us know about opportunities that may be of interest to the NC Agromedicine Institute and our community of partners by email.