With March comes the hope of spring after a long winter. It’s right around the corner and farmers are itchy to get into the field to plant. March also brings Canadian Agricultural Safety Week, celebrated March 12-18, 2023.

Ag Safety Week is an annual public initiative delivered by the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association (CASA) to raise awareness about the importance of farm safety.

This year’s theme is ‘Safety is Our Promise’ and is part of a three-year safety campaign ‘Your Farm, Your Family, Your Success’.  In 2023, organizers are focusing on practical safety advice and inspiring conversations about farm safety while highlighting the reasons safety is essential for the sustainability of farming operations.

Safety on the farm is everyone’s responsibility. However ultimately, it falls on the farm owner/operator to ensure that their employees and family have proper training and all safety precautions are in place with livestock and equipment.

“We all know that farm accidents can have devastating and far-reaching consequences,” says Andrea Lear, CASA’s Chief Executive Officer. “Fortunately, many on-farm incidents are preventable. That’s why we want to ensure Canadian producers have the resources they need to keep their farms safe for everyone to live, work, and visit.”

The CASA has a wide range of agricultural safety training materials that can be found at https://www.casa-acsa.ca as do many other organizations. As we head into spring, we encourage you to find resources to educate yourself, your family and employees on safe farm practices.

We hope you have an accident-free spring season!