Educational Programs
For more than 30 years, the Great Plains Center for Agricultural Health has provided education and training related to agricultural safety and health to farmers, agricultural workers, and rural communities. Our goal is to educate rural healthcare providers, EMTs, veterinarians, and other leaders on how to best assist the agricultural community.
GPCAH offers a variety of educational materials and courses that focus on promoting agricultural health and safety, including the Agricultural Safety and Health Core Course.
Agricultural Safety and Health: The Core Course
The course provides information and skills needed to enable safety and health professionals to anticipate, recognize, and prevent occupational illnesses and injuries among members of the agricultural community.
Ag Health 101
This audio program has 10 units on topics important to agricultural health, including confined spaces, heat illnesses, and pesticides. Within each unit, there are multiple micro-lessons, each ending with a discussion question to reflect on what has been discussed and how to integrate the information into your personal life or onto the farm.
Intermediate Ag Health
Online modules that cover a variety of hazards on the farm, designed to be taken on a computer, with a pre- and post-test integrated into each module’s course.
Ag Health Academy
Applications for the 2025 Academy are being taken now! Anyone who has completed the 40-hour Agricultural Safety & Health Core Course will be invited to participate in monthly virtual meetings to learn practical information and emerging issue topics relevant to health and safety on the farm. We will be rolling out this educational resource in early 2025.
If you have questions about Ag Health Academy, please email us at cph-greatplainscenter@uiowa.edu.
Graduate Education
GPCAH offers courses to help students gain “hands-on” practical and research experience. These courses are for those seeking a career path that includes agricultural safety and health.
FarmSafe in the Classroom – Resources for Ag Educators
The FarmSafe in the Classroom project has developed classroom-ready activities that correspond FarmSafe podcast episodes. Classroom assignments and activities map to Common Core and the National Council for Ag Educator’s Content Standards for AFNR programs. Visit this page to access episodes and activities, ranging from simple quizzes to interactive projects, to incorporate into curriculum for grades 6-12 or college.
MRASH Conference
The Midwest Rural Agricultural Safety and Health Conference is an annual conference that occurs each fall. Come join us and learn about research.