April 7, 2022 Rick VanVranken

April is National Sexual Harassment Awareness Month – Farm Workers at Risk

From MorningAgClips.com posting (4/7/22) <https://www.morningagclips.com/free-training-tools-available-to-address-sexual-harassment-of-farmworkers/> from 4/5/22 press release from Equitable Food Initiative <https://equitablefood.org/latest-news/free-training-tools-available-to-address-sexual-harassment-of-farmworkers/>

Free training tools available to address sexual harassment of farmworkers

Equitable Food Initiative supports awareness initiatives during Harassment Prevention Month

WASHINGTON — Equitable Food Initiative, the workforce development and certification organization that partners with growers, farmworkers, retailers and consumer advocacy groups, has collaborated with Pacific Northwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center (PNASH), a part of the University of Washington Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, to support the development of a worksite training and toolkit, ¡Basta! Preventing Sexual Harassment in Agriculture.

April is National Sexual Harassment Awareness and Prevention Month, and EFI is using the time to shine a light on this important topic. Several studies have found that 75%-80% of female farmworkers have experienced sexual harassment at work, compared to 50% in non-agricultural office settings as reported by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

The EFI website offers statistics, facts and study citations on harassment at work, links to access the ¡Basta! Preventing Sexual Harassment toolkit, which features videos in both English and Spanish, and educational materials that can be used in workplaces (posters, shareable graphics and a detailed fact sheet). The information and resources can be found at equitablefood.org/harassment, and all are provided free of charge.

“Development of the ¡Basta! toolkit was catalyzed by female farmworkers in Eastern Washington who brought the issue of sexual harassment to PNASH,” explained Dr. Jody Early, a professor at University of Washington who worked on the project. “This is the first program created by and for agricultural stakeholders to address the prevention of sexual harassment, and we tailored it to the needs of Latino/a/x farmworkers, growers and supervisors.”

The PNASH team worked for six years and engaged more than 48 different stakeholders in the development – including farmworkers, grower associations, health care advocates, human rights organizations, state and federal agencies, farmworker rights groups, private businesses and nonprofits like Equitable Food Initiative.

“This can be a difficult topic, but it’s essential that we address it industrywide,” said LeAnne Ruzzamenti, director of marketing communications for EFI. “We know that harassment happens more frequently among farmworkers, we know that it goes unreported, and we know that agriculture workplaces include characteristics that make women more vulnerable to it.”

EFI’s certification program goes beyond a simple audit and introduces workforce development solutions along with training in communication, conflict resolution, problem-solving and collaboration. Third-party evaluation studies have found that the program fosters culture shifts on farms that result in respectful and trusting workplaces where women and indigenous workers report reduced harassment and discrimination.

“EFI’s mission is to improve the lives of farmworkers by bringing everyone in the system together to address the fresh produce industry’s most pressing problems,” Ruzzamenti continued. “I can’t think of a more important goal than creating safer and healthier workplaces through a zero-tolerance approach to harassment.”

About EFI
Equitable Food Initiative is a nonprofit certification and skill-building organization that seeks to increase transparency in the food supply chain and improve the lives of farmworkers through a team-based approach to training and continuous improvement practices. EFI brings together growers, farmworkers, retailers and consumers to solve the most pressing issues facing the fresh produce industry. Its unparalleled approach sets standards for labor practices, food safety and pest management while engaging workers at all levels on the farm to produce Responsibly Grown, Farmworker Assured^® fruits and vegetables. For more information about Equitable Food Initiative, visit equitablefood.org.

View a list of EFI-certified farms at equitablefood.org/farms.

–Equitable Food Initiative

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Field, Forage & Livestock, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Uncategorized, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: Farm Health and Safety, farm worker safety, labor, migrant farm labor, Seasonal Labor, sexual harassment, training resources

September 20, 2021 Rick VanVranken

COVID-19 Vaccines Still Available For Farmworkers

At the request of the New Jersey Departments of Health and Agriculture, please read the following message:

Our offices are working diligently to ensure that all farmworkers are protected against COVID-19 for the fall season – to that end, we have developed a new survey to assess the migrant and seasonal farm worker population for the fall and to identify focus areas for COVID-19 vaccination support. We would greatly appreciate if you could please fill out the survey here (even if all your workers are already vaccinated for COVID-19): http://healthsurveys.nj.gov/NoviSurvey/n/zz2q2.aspx. Any information you provide will be confidential and used solely for supporting COVID-19 vaccination efforts.

Additionally, if any of your workers are not yet vaccinated for COVID-19 and are interested in receiving a vaccine, please feel free to contact Omolola Taiwo, Ph.D, MPA, Executive Director, Office of Primary Care and Rural Health, Division of Community Health Services, New Jersey Department of Health, at njmsfw@doh.nj.gov. Our team will ensure that you are connected with the appropriate resources to keep your workforce healthy.

Thank you for your support in keeping our farm communities safe and healthy!

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf Tagged With: COVID-19, Farm Health and Safety, farm worker safety, migrant farm labor, NJ Dept Health, NJDA, vaccination, vaccine

June 30, 2021 Rick VanVranken

Don’t Let Your Guard Down With Farm Worker Health

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the critical and essential role of farm labor in getting food from farm to plate. However, health concerns should not stop with a negative COVID test or vaccine, especially if an employee or family member is exhibiting any of the ‘flu-like’ symptoms that are associated with corona virus.

From the Vermont Law School Center for Agriculture and Food Systems (CAFS) – “The CAFS launched the Food System Worker Law and Policy Project in 2021 with research focused on farmworkers, who—despite forming the backbone of a trillion-dollar industry in the U.S.—face a level of occupational risk unrivaled by most workers. From repeated exposure to pesticides and extreme heat, …. ” Their newly published “report titled “Essentially Unprotected: A Focus on Farmworker Health Laws and Policies Addressing Pesticide Exposure and Heat-Related illness,” … May 2021, provides an overview of the findings as well as policy recommendations that are urgently needed to protect farmworkers.”

Typically not seen until July, we’ve already had 3 heat waves beginning in May that expose workers to a number of potential health risks that may present very similar symptoms and can be equally health, and even life, threatening. Published studies from the Rutgers Institute of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences suggest growing numbers of people worldwide are at risk of heat stress and related complications, including farmers and ag laborers working in high heat and humid conditions. Last year, OSHA-NIOSH released a Heat Index App (in English and Spanish at the Apple App Store or Google Play) featuring:

A visual indicator of the current heat index and associated risk levels specific to your current geographical location
Precautionary recommendations specific to heat index-associated risk levels
An interactive, hourly forecast of heat index values, risk level, and recommendations for planning outdoor work activities in advance
Editable location, temperature, and humidity controls for calculation of variable conditions
Signs and symptoms and first aid information for heat-related illnesses

For more information about safety while working in the heat, see OSHA’s heat illness webpage, including online guidance about using the heat index to protect workers.

In addition to heat stress, harvesting and other activities along field edges, including going into the woods instead of using a portable bathroom facilities, create a high risk for tick bites which can also carry a number of diseases, many as or more debilitating than Lyme disease. It is critical for your employees’ health and well-being to get proper diagnosis and treatment for all of these ailments. This table illustrates how many tick-born diseases, as well as heat stress, all have potential symptoms very similar to those of COVID-19. Each is linked to additional resources at the CDC. In many cases, it may be the ‘other symptoms’ that may be unique to each disease and assist a medical practitioner with correct identification and lead to better verification with further testing.

Disease > Symptoms v	COVID-19	Heat Stress	Lyme Disease	Ehrlichiosis	Babe- biosis	Powas-san	Rocky Mtn Spotted Fever
Vector*	Human		Black-legged Tick (a.k.a. Deer Tick) (I. scapularis)	Lone Star Tick (A. americanum) & Black-legged	Black-legged Tick	Ground hog(I. cookei), Squirrel (I. marxi) & Black-legged Ticks	American Dog Tick (D. variabilis)
Fever or chills	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
Cough	X			X
Shortness of breath/difficulty breathing	X
Fatigue	X		X	X	X
Muscle/body aches	X	X	X	X	X		X
Headache	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
New loss of taste or smell	X
Sore throat	X
Congestion or runny nose	X
Nausea/vomiting	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
Diarrhea	X			X
Rash			X	X			X
Other symptoms	X		X	X	X	X	X
Potentially Deadly/Disabling	X	X	X	X	X	X	X

*NOTE – main vector listed, but many tick born diseases may be vectored by other species of ticks, or different species causing same disease may be carried by different tick species.

Filed Under: Blueberry, Commercial Ag Updates, Cranberry, Field, Forage & Livestock, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Nursery, Strawberry, Tree Fruit, Turf, Vegetable Crops, Wine Grape Tagged With: COVID-19, farm labor safety, Health, heat stress, migrant farm labor, policy, tick diseases, ticks

June 24, 2021 Rick VanVranken

Free Vaccinations at Atlantic City Rodeo Event – Sunday, June 27

On Sunday, June 27, there will be a free COVID-19 vaccination event during a rodeo being held at the Surf Stadium (545 North Albany Ave, Atlantic City). No appointments are needed and walk-ups are welcome. Both Pfizer for those ages 12 and older (1st and 2nd doses) and J&J for those 18 and older will be available. No ID documentation is required and there will be no impact on immigration status. More details are available in the attached flyers (in English and Spanish) that can be printed, posted and/or handed out for you, your family and farm employees.

COVID-19 vaccines are safe, effective and free. Get vaccinated!

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Field, Forage & Livestock, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: COVID-19, farm labor safety, migrant farm labor, NJ Dept Health, vaccination, vaccine

May 24, 2021 Rick VanVranken

Reminder – Virtual DOH/DOL/NJDA “Ag Stakeholder Engagement Call” 2pm, May 25

NJ Secretary of Agriculture Doug Fisher has shared this attached letter inviting the agricultural community to join a virtual “Ag Stakeholder Engagement Call” on May 25 at 2:00 p.m. Hosted by the Departments of Health, Labor and Agriculture, the Commissioners and Secretary will discuss NJ’s response to COVID-19, provide updates on mitigation efforts and guidance, provide science-based information on the COVID vaccines, and answer questions.

This is a virtual Microsoft Teams meeting

Join on your computer or mobile app: Click here to join the meeting

Or call in (audio only): +1 856-338-7074,,487903588# United States, Camden

Phone Conference ID: 487 903 588#

Find a local number | Reset PIN | Learn More | Meeting options

Filed Under: Field, Forage & Livestock, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: agriculture employers, COVID-19, employee safety, farm labor safety, migrant farm labor, NJ Dept Health, NJ Dept Labor, NJDA, vaccination, vaccine

May 20, 2021 Rick VanVranken

Ag Community Invited to Join a Virtual DOH/DOL/NJDA “Ag Stakeholder Engagement Call” on May 25 at 2:00 p.m.