Figure 1 -- MOSES In Her Boots day attended by Katherine Barnes

Intervention through Inquiry: Beginning Farmers and Ranchers

The Beginning Farmers and Ranchers (BFR) project seeks to engage parents on discussing risks and benefits of the farm environment, as well as build relationships with agricultural organization in and outside Wisconsin in hopes of increasing voluntary acceptance by agricultural organizations to adopting safety messages and interventions.

This project focuses of the critical traits, demographics, and attitudes that will make the millennial generation of farmers and ranchers unique as a health population. Specifically, it evaluates safety and injury prevention measures in light of this generation being the most diverse, technologically dependent, and generationally separated cohort in US history. This was a core project in the previous National Children’s Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety.

As part of this study, Dr. Casper Bendixsen (PI), Kathrine Barnes (Project Manager), and Kyle Koshalek (Research Coordinator) utilized ethnographic study methods to engage parents on their conceptualizations of risks and benefits to youth on farms, including characterizing their decision-making. This work was accomplished in collaboration with various external organizations, including Georgia Women in Ag Association, Inc, Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission (who represents 11 tribes in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota), organizations focused on organic production, including Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Services (MOSES) and others.

This study produced 4 publications with 2 manuscripts in development. Community partners have been engaged in the manuscript submissions as applicable and encouraged to weigh in on deliverables. Several organizations have requested follow up to learn about research outcomes and circulated findings amongst their own membership. Some community partners joined advisory committees for other NCCRAHS projects. Several partnerships continue through on this and other projects in this renewal.

 

Publications

Barnes KL, Bendixsen CG. “When This Breaks Down, It’s Black Gold”: Race and Gender in Agricultural Health and Safety. J Agromedicine. 2017;22:56-65.

Bendixsen CG. The Entanglements of Agrarian Ethics with Agrarian Risks and Leveraging Them in Agricultural Health Safety. J Agromedicine. 2017;22:17-25.

Bendixsen C. Harvests and Cultivation: the Roles and Futures of Anthropology in Agricultural Health and Safety. Practicing Anthropology. 2016;38(4):59-60.

Bendixsen C. A Farm Kid Paradox. Journal of the Anthropology of North America. 2019;22:139-142.

Barnes KL, Rudolphi J, Kivirist L, Bendixsen CG. Childhood Agricultural Injury Prevention Among Organic Farmer Mothers. J Agromedicine. Published online: 2020 March 22. Doi: 10.1080/1059924X.2020.1744495