This March, the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association (CASA) is encouraging all Canadians to celebrate Safe & Strong Farms. Canadian Agricultural Safety Week (CASW) is an annual public campaign committed to raising awareness about the importance of safe agriculture. In 2021, Safe & Strong Farms: Lead an AgSafe Canada runs from March 14 to 20 and is the final year of a three-year campaign celebrating farm safety across Canada. The aim of the campaign is to empower farmers, farm families and farming communities to build (2019), grow (2020), and lead (2021) the agricultural industry in safety and sustainability.
Farm Credit Canada is the presenting sponsor of CASW and a dedicated farm safety supporter, including the Back to Ag Program that assists with the cost of adaptive technology for farmers who have experienced a traumatic injury.
“Safety is paramount in any line of work, and we understand the dangers that farmers face each and every day,” said FCC president and CEO Michael Hoffort. “Farm Credit Canada is proud to support CASA in its delivery of important programs that help farm families stay safe, as well as help farmers return to work after recovering from an injury.”
This year, organizers are focusing on supporting farm safety leadership through resources, safety advice articles, and much more including a free public webinar “Be AgSafe, Stay Rail Smart”, in partnership with CN on March 16. CASA is also producing resources in partnership with CASW supporters Syngenta and TC Energy.
The AgSafe Ribbon campaign also returns for CASW, but with a bit of a different look from previous years. For 2021, the ribbon campaign is going digital and can be shared on social media as a way to raise awareness and start conversations about the importance of farm safety. The digital AgSafe Ribbon can be found on the CASW website at agsafetyweek.ca.
“This year is all about celebrating the leaders in agricultural safety and health,” says Andrea Lear, CASA’s CEO. “Farmers, farming communities, ag businesses, farm safety partners, and other farm safety champions are doing great work keeping Canadian farms safe and strong.”
For more than a decade, CASA has been raising awareness about the importance of safety on Canadian farms through CASW, which takes place every year during the third week of March. CASW is presented by Farm Credit Canada. In 2021, CASW sponsors include long-time corporate sponsor Farm Credit Canada, as well as CN, Syngenta, and TC Energy.
Additional information about CASW, including the media kit and resources, and to register for the “Be AgSafe, Stay Rail Smart” webinar is available at agsafetyweek.ca. The media kit contains feature stories, safety advice articles, public service announcements, graphics, and more.
The Canadian Agricultural Safety Association is a national, non-profit organization dedicated to improving the health and safety of farmers, their families and agricultural workers. CASA is funded in part by the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, a federal, provincial and territorial initiative. For more information, visit www.casa-acsa.ca, find us on Facebook or LinkedIn, or follow us on Twitter @planfarmsafety.
