“Emergency preparedness on farms isn’t an option — it’s essential,” said CASA executive director Sandra Miller in a news release on Wednesday.

Canadian Agricultural Safety Association (CASA) has launched a new online Emergency Preparedness Hub, which collects information and resources in one place to help farmers prepare for crises. It contains tools developed by CASA and other organizations and links to province and sector-specific resources.

Tools cover preparedness across the four listed sectors: cattle, pork, poultry and sheep. They cover issues like natural disasters, extreme weather, biosecurity and outbreak managementand how to deal with protests and trespassers on the farm.

Sector-specific information is provided by partnered organizations Canadian Cattle Association, Ontario Pork, Poultry Industry Council and Ontario Sheep Farmers.

Links to emergency plans from federal, provincial and territorial government websites contain information on emergency preparedness in different jurisdictions.

The launch of the Emergency Preparedness Hub coincides with CASA’s Canadian Agricultural Safety Week, March 15-21.

The Emergency Preparedness Hub is now available online.

The post Online hub gives farmers tools to prepare for crises like extreme weather, disease outbreaks appeared first on Farmtario.

The vision, along with the group’s new mission statement of promoting a “culture of agricultural safety that protects people through knowledge sharing, support, and meaningful connections” comes as part of Canadian Agricultural Safety Week, March 15-21.

“This new mission and vision, it’s not just a symbolic change,” said Sandy Miller, CASA’s executive director.

“Agriculture is one of Canada’s most hazardous industries, and we’ve made a lot of progress, but there are still too many preventable injuries and fatalities happening in farming.”

WHY IT MATTERS: Agriculture is one of Canada’s most dangerous job sectors, with more than 60 fatalities per year as a result of agriculture-related injuries

Miller said the choice of the word ‘harm’ in the new vision was a deliberate one to highlight both physical and mental health risks.

“It’s not just farmers getting injured stepping over PTOs,” she said. “There were so many other factors to be considered.”

“CASA’s role has always been about sharing knowledge to keep people safe, so we really wanted to be explicit in our role as an opportunity to drive cultural change.”

The evolution of farm safety

Cultural changes can be difficult to drive, but Miller said the conversation around farm safety and wellness has evolved before.

“Just looking at (mental health), I think there’s been a huge shift in terms of resources that are available, the conversations that are being had, the lessened stigma,” she said. “Are we there yet? No, but do I see progress? Absolutely.”

“When I think back to as recently as, let’s say, 2015-2016, very few farmers were talking about mental health,” she said. “We would say stress rather than mental health, because we were trying to ease our way into reducing some stigma.”

There have also been improvements on physical safety issues over time, like tractor rollover, Miller added.

CASA’s new vision reflect a focus on collaborative, positive solutions, the organization said in a March 16 news release.

Part of that collaborative approach involves working with provincial partners like AgSafe B.C. and federations of agriculture in Ontario, Alberta and Newfoundland and Labrador.

Miller added CASA is nearly finished crafting a 2026-29 strategic plan, which will translate the new priorities into action.

Practical measures

Miller added there are practical measures producers can take on their own farms which reflect this idea of practical solutions.

“Take step back and, just as you would do a circle check of your tractor, do a circle check of your farm,” she said.

She urged farmers to take a clear and honest look at what needs to be fixed, changed or replaced to protect themselves, their families, workers and neighbours.

Miller noted that CASA offers free courses and resources on farm safety.

The post Canadian Agricultural Safety Association promotes new vision for farm safety appeared first on Farmtario.

That’s according to speakers at a March 5 webinar hosted by the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association (CASA), which honoured 2026 as the United Nations’ International Year of the Woman Farmer and International Women’s Day, which is celebrated March 8.

The mental strain of shifting roles

Women often play multiple roles on a farm over the course of the day. This can take its toll mentally said Lauren Van Ewyk, CEO and Co-Founder of National Farm Mental Health Alliance.

“Typically, we think of producers as primary, secondary and tertiary producers,” she said, “and women typically fall into all three of those categories in many settings, in agriculture.”

Van Ewyk gave an example from her own experience.

“I’ll be in the barn, lambing out ewes,” she said. “We have a foster daughter who has brain cancer, so I’ll be getting a phone call from the school navigating medical care while I’m making sure that my lambs are getting what they need.”

She cited a study which stated self-reported mental health among rural women declined, “more than urban women, more than urban men, more than rural men,” post-COVID. This could have to do with the many burdens they shoulder on the farm.

She said there is research to suggest women often take on the role of their male partner’s emotional support. Men in Canada are less likely to seek professional help than women.

Different physical strains

The strains of this balancing act can also be physical, not just mental said Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture farm safety co-ordinator Adelaide Amuah.

“Because women are physiologically and anatomically different, have different bodies from males, we stand a higher risk of sprains and strains or musculoskeletal diseases,” she said.

“Taking care of the family, doing the books, using the equipment, machinery, playing so many roles on the farm means that this has higher stress on your muscles, your nerves, even when it comes to rest, you don’t have enough.”

These risks may not be immediately apparent. Effects could only show up later in life.

Personal protective equipment (PPE) is also often made with men in mind, which can create issues when women use it.

“There’s lots of different body shapes, body sizes, body strengths, working on farms now,” said Alanna Coneybeare, vice president of Conlee Farms near Listowel, Ont. “So, having safety equipment that is suitable for everybody to use, I think, is something that is definitely overlooked on a lot of farms.”

Amuah said issue this can lead to women farmers using PPE that is uncomfortable or even dangerous.

“Imagine having a coverall,” she said. “It’s too loose, that means that it might get caught up in a machine, or get caught up in equipment, or if it’s too tight, you are not able to move freely in them.”

The role of mentorship, peer support

Unique challenges can create shared experiences, however, and those shared experiences can lead to mentorships, which the speakers said are crucial for women in agriculture.

“Women, we do have different lived experiences,” said Coneybeare. “We can have really fantastic male mentors who have a plethora of expertise and can really help our career as well, but I think there is a special need for kind of women to help other women as well.”

These conversations can lead to women supporting one another.

“If you gain something, I also gain something, the industry gains something.”

Knowing how and where to seek out these relationships is a key first step, Coneybeare said. This is especially important in agriculture, which does not have the same introductory mechanisms as other industries.

Van Ewyk said women need to be willing to step up, even if it involves confrontation.

“Globally, there’s women all around the world in agriculture who suffer because they’re a woman in ag,” she said. “So ideally, it’s to kind of link arms with one another.”

She encouraged those seeking mentorship to reach out to their local chamber of commerce, many of which have mentorship programs.

The post Complexity of being a woman in farming can lead to mental, physical health risks appeared first on Farmtario.

At the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association’s (CASA) 2025 Conference, Workplace Safety and Prevention Services (WSPS) Agriculture Consultant Kristin Hoffman gave tips for staying mentally and physically safe during one of the most important times of year for farmers.

Here are some of the key pieces of advice from Hoffman’s presentation:

Know the pressure and know your limits.

Hoffman said preparation and maintenance are key during the harvest, not just for machinery but for people as well.

“As you prepare your equipment, prepare yourself for the work,” she said. “Acknowledge that this is a high-pressure season, which requires us to really prepare.”

She said in the high-pressure environment of the harvest, it is more important than ever to keep an eye on basic needs like rest, hydration and nutrition.

“Some of the essentials of life become even more important during this season, when the two hours we thought we might (take) becomes four, six, eight and more,” she said.

“Ensure that … you have that sandwich for a break at some point throughout those many hours of harvest when you’re out in the field.”

Stay connected

Another way to stay safe during working hours is to be connected with trusted individuals like family members at all times, not only as emergency contacts but as someone you can check in with during the day.

Hoffman said it helps to share your location with that person “so that if you didn’t get home for dinner at the time that individual might expect and there isn’t an answer, they know whereabouts you might be.”

Farmers should be prepared for emergency situations in their equipment as well, and Hoffman suggested having emergency service numbers on hand, as well as equipment like fire extinguishers and first aid kits.

Know your route, prepare your equipment

Preparation and inspection of equipment and routes before leaving is also crucial for harvest safety. This can include being aware of surroundings and potential hazards on roads, including overhead wires and shoulders that can’t bear the load of heavy equipment.

Hoffman said even in cases where equipment would normally be within the necessary size limits, infrastructure like wires can age and droop dangerously close to the machine.

One of the ways she suggested to prepare is driving your expected route during daylight hours in a regular vehicle.

“How much width do you have, how much height do you have? Consider what you are going to be powering along those roads. Will it fit? And could there become challenges across narrow bridges or areas without shoulders?”

“When possible, choose those roads that are relatively low-traffic (and) give you all of the dimension requirements that you need,” she said. “Consider having an assistant along with you when you are traveling on the roads, to be sure that you’ve got eyes on front and rear.”

Farmers should also prepare their equipment with everything necessary for the day’s work before leaving the farm or the home. Part of this is to ensure visibility.

“Be seen. Light yourself up as you might in the Christmas or Halloween season on your equipment, no matter the time of year that you are traveling upon the roads.”

“I’ll recommend to you … place a (slow-moving vehicle sign) on every piece, the power unit as well as all of the implements.”

Hoffman said to be aware of your lights while travelling on roads, as rear lights could be distracting or dangerous for other drivers.

“Imagine coming up to a vehicle in your lane from the rear and two white lights are pointed back at you. You might interpret that there is a car travelling the wrong direction.”

The post Exploring Harvest Safety appeared first on Farmtario.

“We acknowledge that reality television aims to entertain, but it is crucial that such portrayals do not inadvertently glamorize or normalize serious risks,” said Andrea Lear, CASA’s Chief Executive Officer in a news release yesterday. “We urge media producers to consult with safety experts and consider the real-life consequences of their depicted tasks.”

In fifth episode of the show’s current season, contestants are made to climb into grain trailers that are anywhere from two-thirds to three-quarters of the way full of oats. They then had to dig through the grain to find a hidden object.

Contestants were shown wading and digging through the grain for a prolonged period.

“It’s pretty deep,” a contestant said at one point.

CASA pointed out that wading in deep grain could lead to become partially or fully engulfed in grain, which can have deadly consequences. Between 2011 and 2020, 27 people died due to asphyxiation in grain or soil, the organization said.

In 2015, three children died while playing on a truck loaded with canola. According to a CBC article from the time, the girls fell into the back of the truck and suffocated after they became buried in the canola.

Since 2017, CASA has been working to raise awareness of the dangers of grain entrapment and has trained firefighters on how to rescue people trapped in grain.

In its first season, The Amazing Race Canada had contestants perform a similar task in which they searched through trailers full of lentils.

The post CASA calls out The Amazing Race Canada for agricultural stunt appeared first on Farmtario.

For instance, more than two thirds of Canadian women who farm struggle to find safety apparel and personal protective equipment that fits them, said the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association in a recent report.

Thirty-nine per cent said women’s safety apparel is more expensive than men’s, and 42 per cent said machinery isn’t designed with women in mind.

The report draws on data from a broader study, which CASA co-funded, of Canadian farm women’s experiences. That study, which included a survey of more than 1,000 farming women, was published in February.

“Women are pivotal to safety plans on the farm,” CASA wrote.

Forty-six per cent of farming women said they were responsible for creating and implementing a farm safety plan, and 42 per cent said they were “constantly reminding people on their farm about safety issues.”

A quarter of women surveyed said their farm would have no focus on safety. Twenty-nine per cent said that others on the farm don’t respect their opinion regarding health and safety.

Safety of children was a top concern for farm women. Sixty-four per cent said caring for children due to a lack of daycare was concerning from a safety standpoint.

Safety was identified as a common stressor for women. Sixty-five per cent said they experienced stress when they thought about potential injury on the farm.

Fifty per cent said stress related to the farm was negatively affecting their health.

Nearly 60 per cent of women said they thought women should be included in safety training more often.

Thirty-eight per cent of women said they were concerned by health hazards specifically related to childbearing due to farm obligations.

The post Report examines farming women’s safety needs  appeared first on Farmtario.

The company’s funding will purchase GSI RES-Q-TUBE and Haul-ALL pencil augers for eligible fire departments that have taken part in BeGrainSafe training put on by the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association (CASA).

The GSI RES-Q-TUBE is a rescue tube and the pencil auger helps move grain when needed and are considered essential to rescuing someone from a grain bin, an area of increasing farm sector concern.

The BeGrainSafe program includes a mobile demonstration unit and has seen firefighters trained on grain entrapment rescue. Now the organization can supply these fire departments with needed rescue equipment.

Corteva’s support will purchase a GSI RES-Q-TUBE and a Haul-ALL pencil auger for eligible rural fire departments that have taken part in BeGrainSafe training.

The grain rescue tube and portable auger are essential in rescuing a person trapped in grain. When used in combination, the grain rescue tube creates a barrier between the victim and the grain while the auger helps rescuers quickly move the grain away from the potential victim.

“Having a grain rescue tube and a portable auger available to fire departments trained in grain extrication greatly increases the probability of a victim surviving a grain entrapment,” Robert Gobeil, CASA’s agricultural health and safety specialist, said.

“Handling grain is an everyday occurrence in the agriculture industry, meaning unexpected grain incidents can happen at any moment,” said Kris Allen, communications leader for Corteva Agriscience Canada.

“We’re proud to work with CASA on this important initiative that equips rural fire departments with the tools they need to keep Canadian growers and their families safe.”

More information about BeGrainSafe, including firefighter training, is available online. — Glacier FarmMedia Network

The post Donation offers up more equipment for grain emergencies appeared first on Farmtario.

“This is hitting us all very hard. Frontline responders are routinely called out to sad situations, but things are always harder when there’s children involved,” said Sgt. Mike Numan of the Rocky Mountain House RCMP.

Catie Bott, age 13, and her twin sisters Dara and Jana, both 11, were playing on a grain truck being loaded at their farm near Withrow, about 60 km west of Red Deer, when they became buried in canola, Numan said.

Details of exactly what happened weren’t released, but flowing grain is extremely dangerous because it exerts a “tremendous pull,” according to the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association. A person can become engulfed and rendered helpless in as few as three seconds and fully buried in 20 seconds or less.

“Adults at the farm were able to free the children from the grain and immediately began CPR,” said Numan. “A short time later, the emergency medical services personnel arrived and continued CPR.

“Despite their efforts, they were not successful in reviving the 13-year-old and her 11-year-old sister, who both died at the scene. Their 11-year-old sister was taken to the hospital in Edmonton via STARS air ambulance, and succumbed to her injuries at 3:18 this morning.”

The Bott family — father Roger, mother Bonita, and surviving son Caleb — was too distressed to speak following the accident, but said in a statement they have no regrets about raising their children on the farm.

“Our kids died living life on the farm. It is a family farm, and we do not regret raising and involving our kids on our farm. It was our life,” said the Bott family’s statement.

Numan choked back tears as he read the statement.

“The RCMP expresses its deepest condolences to the family and the local community, and is committed to providing them with the victim services support they may require in the aftermath of these sudden deaths,” he said.

Provincial Agriculture Minister Oneil Carlier also expressed condolences to the family.

“My thoughts are with the family of the three girls who died in the Hamlet of Withrow and my heart aches for them today. As a father myself, I believe no parent should have to bear the loss of a child,” he said in a statement.

“I join Albertans in expressing grief and sympathy for the parents of these girls as they go through this unimaginable sorrow.”

A crisis management team is at the elementary school in nearby Condor — which the girls attended up until two years ago — offering grief counselling to students and staff during this “very confusing and difficult time,” Wildrose School Division superintendent Brad Volkman said.

“This, of course, is a very sad time for the staff, the students, the families, and the community connected with Condor School,” said Volkman, adding the family remained “very much connected” to the school.

“In a small, tight-knit community like Condor, they are known well by our staff and our students. The family still supported the school in tremendous ways, taking part in attending Christmas concerts and bringing baking for the staff and students.

“They will be sorely missed.”

— Jennifer Blair is a reporter for Alberta Farmer Express at Red Deer, Alta. Follow her at @FairfieldJen on Twitter.

The post Three young Alta. sisters lost to grain truck mishap appeared first on Farmtario.

Rocky Mountain House RCMP said late Tuesday they were called at about 6:15 that evening to a farm near Withrow, about 60 km west of Red Deer, where three girls had been playing on a loaded grain truck.

The girls “became buried and were smothered by the seed in the truck,” then were removed from the truck by adults on the scene, RCMP said in a release.

Members of the nearby Condor, Leslieville and Clearwater County fire departments, ambulance staff from Eckville and Rocky Mountain House and RCMP attempted life-saving measures “at length,” RCMP said.

Two of the girls, an 11-year-old and a 13-year-old, died, while another 11-year-old girl was taken to Edmonton’s Stollery Children’s Hospital by STARS air ambulance in critical condition, RCMP said Tuesday night.

Several Calgary media outlets on Wednesday morning quoted RCMP as saying the third girl has since died in hospital.

Rocky Mountain House RCMP said Tuesday night they will not release any of the victims’ names.

A victims’ services unit is assisting the family, RCMP said Tuesday night, adding in a separate release Wednesday morning that the local Wildrose School Division is arranging support for staff and students.

CBC on Wednesday quoted a local official as saying the truck was being unloaded when the girls entered the canola, but CTV on Wednesday quoted a separate official as saying the truck was being filled with grain at the time.

According to fact sheets from the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association, a person can become engulfed and trapped in flowing grain as it exerts a “tremendous pull” on a body caught in the flow, rendering a person helpless in as few as three seconds and fully buried in 20 seconds or less.

If it’s being unloaded, grain can create “quicksand-like” suction as it flows down and inward in a funnel effect, CASA said. A person engulfed at waist level or higher can’t be pulled from flowing grain without risk of injury to the spine.

Provincial Agriculture Minister Oneil Carlier, in a separate release Wednesday, said his “heart aches for (the girls’ family) today. As a father myself, I believe no parent should have to bear the loss of a child.

“I join Albertans in expressing grief and sympathy for the parents of these girls as they go through this unimaginable sorrow.” — AGCanada.com Network

The post Three Alta. girls smothered in truckload of canola appeared first on Farmtario.

The week, running March to 21 in a co-promotion between the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association (CASA) and the Federation of Agriculture (CFA) with sponsorship from Farm Credit Canada, is themed “Be the Difference.”

“The impact of a farm injury can be devastating both emotionally and economically to producers and their families,” event organizers said on their website. “Yet most injuries are predictable, and thus preventable, if producers, farm managers, and farm workers know what to look for and how to control the hazards on their farms.”

The CASW website includes resources for farmers such as Toolbox and Farm Talks, tips and handouts for discussions on everyday tasks around the farm to remind workers about the importance of safe work habits and procedures, the Ontario Federation of Agriculture noted in a separate statement.

Topics such as how to talk to kids about farm safety, tips for operating self-propelled equipment on roadways, lifting safely or towing large loads are included on the CASW site, OFA board member Brent Royce said.

“Whether a farmer uses the talking tools or takes the time to chat about any farm safety reminder, it can make a difference.”

New Brunswick Ag Minister Rick Doucet, in a separate statement Friday, urged farmers to “take the time to assess and improve their safety systems, participate in training, and get their formal written safety plans in place. It will ‘be the difference.'”

Farmers can also visit the CASW website for more information on farm safety events across the country during the week.

Quebec last Monday announced its own Farm Health and Safety Week, which runs from March 11 to 18 and focuses specifically on reducing the risk to farmers and farm families from moving parts on farm equipment.

From 2009 to 2013, the provincial government noted, moving equipment parts were involved in 250 accidents across the province.

“Farmers are used to doing the same thing day after day and they don’t see the danger, but it’s always there,” Jocelyne Handfield Rheaume, whose farmer husband died on the job, said in the province’s release.

The province urged farmers to ensure the “danger zones” on machines, such as PTO shafts, gears and drive chains, aren’t exposed while the machines are running. — AGCanada.com Network

The post Ag Safety Week urges farmers to “be the difference” appeared first on Farmtario.