This March, the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association (CASA), the Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) and presenting sponsor Farm Credit Canada (FCC) are encouraging all Canadians to be part of the AgSafe Family this Canadian Agricultural Safety Week (CASW).
Canadian Agricultural Safety Week is an annual public awareness campaign focusing on the importance of safe agriculture. In 2018 organizers are focusing on supporting senior farmers through resources, safety advice articles, infographics and more. The Ag Safety Week runs March 11 to 17. This is the last year of the Be an AgSafe Family CASW campaign that focused on children (2016), adults (2017) and now in 2018, seniors.
“Canadian Ag Safety Week really asks farm families to have conversations about safety,” said Marcel Hacault, CASA’s executive director.
“Everyone has a role on the farm, the AgSafe family is a team, and everyone can contribute in a safe and productive way.”
As a part of CASW, organizers have produced a number of resources focusing on senior producers including infographics, and a series on mental well-being. 2018 also marks the second year of the AgSafe Ribbon campaign. The AgSafe Ribbon campaign celebrates the AgSafe Family and raises awareness about the importance of farm safety.
“The farm family is the most important support group in terms of keeping each other safe. By having the whole family work together and ensuring that everyone keeps safety in mind, we can help prevent farm accidents from happening,” said Ron Bonnett, president of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture.
“Raising awareness through initiatives like the ribbon campaign will help to keep safety on the top of everyone’s minds while they are out in the fields.”
Farm Credit Canada is a long-time supporter of CASW and other farm safety programs, including the Safety Day Coordinator fund that provides support to communities that host safety day events for children.
“Safety on the farm doesn’t just happen; it’s a result of hard work by industry associations, government, industry advocates and of course farmers,” said Michael Hoffort, FCC president and CEO.
“That’s why we’re proud to support Canadian Agricultural Safety Week and to partner with CASA. It provides the information and resources producers need to make farms safer for everyone, including children and also seniors, many of whom are active farm operators.”
For more details on Canadian Agricultural Safety week visit agsafetyweek.ca.
Canadian Agricultural Safety Week takes place every year during the third week of March. For more information about CASW, media kits or resources, visit agsafetyweek.ca. Media kits include press releases, feature farmer stories, safety advice articles, public service announcements, graphics and more.
CASW 2018 is presented by Farm Credit Canada and sponsored by the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association and the Canadian Federation of Agriculture with assistance from the Government of Canada through Growing Forward 2, a federal, provincial and territorial initiative. In 2018, CASW sponsors include long-time corporate sponsor Farm Credit Canada, as well as CN, Dow AgroScience and Dupont Pioneer, Syngenta, and Fertilizer Canada.
