May 9, 2025 • 50 mins
On this week's episode of The Rural Woman Podcast™, you'll meet Robin Anderson.
Robin Anderson, raised on a farm in south-central Saskatchewan, discovered her passion for farm safety early, becoming a youth ambassador with the Saskatchewan Safety Council’s Power Pac Program. After university, she advanced her advocacy by working as a Farm Safety Coordinator and later as a Health Promotion Coordinator.
Since 2014, Robin has been with the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association (CASA), where she now serves as Director of Programs and Communications, dedicated to enhancing the safety and health of farming communities across Canada.
For full show notes, including links mentioned in the show, head over to wildrosefarmer.com/220
. . .
THIS WEEKS DISCUSSIONS:
01:26 - Introducing Robin Anderson and Her Journey in Farm Safety
10:49 - Empowering Kids in Farm Safety
22:28 - Challenges in Farm Safety
28:36 - Mental Health in Agriculture: A Vital Discussion
32:21 - Addressing the Unique Safety Challenges Faced by Women on Farms
40:49 - Conversations About Farm Safety
45:21 - Future Plans for Farm Safety
. . .
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...Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:40):
Hi, I'm Caitlin Dubin and thisis the Rural Woman Podcast.
I'm a first generation farmerwho married into agriculture.
Born and raised in a city, Iwas so unfamiliar with where my food
came from, but I wasdetermined to figure it out.
Through my journey intoagriculture, I saw women who were
(01:01):
strong but humble, oftentaking a backseat.
To me.
These women were leaders whodeserved a seat at the table.
I created the Rural WomenPodcast to share the voices of women
in an industry whose storiesoften went untold.
The rural entrepreneurs wholive and breathe their work full
(01:23):
of grit and pride.
We come here to share ourstories, to be in community with
each other, to be challengedand inspired, but most importantly
importantly, to be celebratedand to be heard.
We may not all live farm,ranch or homestead the same, but
(01:43):
we are all connected.
We are rural women and ourstories are worthy of being told.
Hey everyone.
Welcome back to anotherepisode of the Rural Woman Podcast.
Today you'll meet Robin Anderson.
Robin is the Director ofPrograms and Communications at the
(02:06):
Canadian Agricultural Safety Association.
Growing up on a grain farm insouth central Saskatchewan as the
oldest of four children,Robin's passion for farm safety and
health began at a young age.
Her journey took her fromyouth ambassador with the Saskatchewan
Safety Council Power Packprogram to becoming an influential
(02:27):
advocate to dedicated toimproving the lives of farmers and
farm families across Canada.
In our conversation today,Robin shares her inspiring story
and discusses why farm safetyis not just a job, but a vital community
mission.
We'll dive into the uniquechallenges farmers face, such as
(02:47):
constant pressure of time andmental health struggles, and explore
essential topics like theinterconnectedness of sleeping, nutrition
and well being.
We also address specificsafety challenges faced by women
in agriculture, including theimportance of tailored personal protective
equipment and managing theemotional weight of ensuring safety
(03:09):
on the farm.
Robin shares impactful successstories highlighting the positive
changes brought by effectivetraining and community engagement.
Plus, Robin gives us a lookahead at exciting initiatives like
Kid Farm Safe Week andupcoming safety forums aimed at making
farms safer for everyone.
(03:29):
I cannot wait for you to meetRobin and hear all of the insightful
information she has for usabout keeping us safe on farms.
Without further ado, myfriends, let's get to this week's
episode with Robin.
(03:49):
Robin, welcome to the RealWoman podcast.
How are you today?
I'm well.
Thank you so much for havingme, Caitlyn.
I really appreciate you takingthe time to talk about things that
are passionate to me.
I am very excited to dive inwith you, Robin.
I had the pleasure of meetingyou last year at a conference in
person and Heard a little bitabout your story and was very intrigued
(04:10):
to learn all about your story.
So I'm happy to have you back.
And for the folks who areunfamiliar with you, Robin, give
us your background, tell uswho you are, where you're from, and
what your connection toagriculture is.
Well, my name is RobinAnderson and I am a farm kid from
Saskatchewan.
I grew up on a farm in southcentral Saskatchewan.
Grain farm, south small grainfarm, you know, with my folks.
(04:33):
And I have three younger siblings.
So, you know, I suffer fromeldest daughter syndrome.
Right.
Mother hen making sureeverybody's, you know, got everything
they need and looking afterthem and, you know, just kind of
being that third parent, youknow, growing up on the farm.
So, you know, I grew up on thefarm and, you know, agriculture is
really, you know, who we were.
(04:53):
You know, it was a big part ofour identity, right?
Being farm kids, growing upwith farm kids riding the bus, you
know, two hours a day to go toa rural school.
Very sheltered in that way, right?
But a really great way to grow up.
Right?
Understanding how our food hasgrown and having that community built
right into it.
And, you know, as I grew up, Ireally realized that, you know, the
(05:17):
well being of the people thatgrew our food is, you know, one of
the most important things to me.
It was always, you know, interesting.
You know, when we were growingup, we would hear about, you know,
people being injured on thefarm or hurt.
My dad had an incident himselflosing part of a finger.
My brother was in an incident,my sister was in an incident.
And not life changing, butdefinitely something that is core
(05:40):
memories.
You know, things that you go,oh, gosh, yeah, that really impacts
you.
And, you know, so growing up,that was.
I was always really worriedabout people, you know, their safety,
well being, you know, on ourfarm especially, but our neighbors
and friends and those sorts of things.
And when I was about 15 yearsold, the Saskatchewan Safety Council
came up with a great programcalled the Power Pack and was sponsored
(06:00):
by SAS Power.
And it was about youth talkingto other kids about farm safety.
And my mom saw the ad and shesaid, oh, gosh, you are such a worry
wart.
This is right up your alley.
You are just always so worriedabout everybody else and how they're
doing.
So, you know, she was like,you need to apply.
And I did.
And, you know, I found a realpassion for it.
(06:21):
I thought this is great, likebeing able to, you know, have this
attention of these kids totalk about something that I was really
passionate about and that wastheir well being, you know, as they're
growing up on the farm andthat kind of morphed.
Went to school and, you know,in Saskatoon, University of Saskatchewan.
And after university, I wasreally privileged to join the Regina
Copel Health region as apharmacy coordinator and, you know,
(06:44):
really getting my feet wet andlearned a lot.
You know, I was such a newbie,you know, being so young, you know,
trying to understand, youknow, what.
What are the impacts?
What does it look like for farmers?
How did their safety and wellbeing, how is that impacted by what
they do for a living?
How is that impacted by, youknow, women working a job off farm,
working on farm, looking after children.
(07:05):
Right.
Like that third shift, youknow, for women on the farm, for
kids on the farm.
Right.
You know, the expectation of,you know, school and extracurricular
and then being on the farm aswell, you know, and, and of course,
you know, primary farmers as well.
So that was a really great,huge learning experience for me.
And, you know, life justhappened and I ended up moving out
to the east coast with myhusband and spending some time out
(07:27):
there.
And then we moved back to theprairies to Winnipeg and the Canadian
Agricultural Safetyassociation hiring for a communications
coordinator for maternity leave.
And I thought, it's a sign.
And I applied and got the joband I've been with them ever since.
So that was 11 years ago nowand my job has changed.
I'm now the director ofprograms and communications at the
Canadian Agricultural Safety Association.
(07:49):
So a lot more responsibility.
But my passion has continuedto grow and I learn something new
every day.
But I'm able to really takethat heritage of mine, that century
farm family, that idea of thatand moving that into a place, place
where, you know, I feel likeI'm, you know, bringing my best foot
forward in for those folksthat do grow our food, that do work
(08:13):
such long hours, who do havesuch care and passion for, you know,
the land and for their animals.
So I'm.
I'm really privileged that Iget to serve, you know, the agricultural
industry in the way that I do.
Robin, you have such a passionfor farm safety and I love that,
you know, meeting you inperson, I could just tell the passion
(08:35):
that you had.
But hearing that you are theeldest daughter from a grain farm,
like, it is all making senseto me and it's coming full circle
for me.
Talk to me about the youthprogram that you were a part of.
What kind of initiatives andconversations were you able to have
at that young age that helpedimpact farm safety for other fellow
(08:59):
kids on farms?
There was such a greatprogram, you Know, the coordinator,
her name is Judy George, andJudy is still a dear friend, a mentor.
You know, she read a readingat her.
At my wedding, you know, sothere was.
There was this beautiful womanwho just was so passionate about
this idea of kids, like, andwe were literal kids, right?
Like teenagers, you know,getting trained up, getting understanding
(09:22):
how to talk to children aboutfarm safety.
So she managed to build thisprogram from scratch.
You know, she gave ustraining, she gave us the information
we needed.
And it was like.
It was pretty old school, right?
Gotta remember this is likethe 90s, late 90s, overhead projectors,
right?
Like those.
Remember those films that youput on the overhead projectors?
We had pictures and, you know,we had gave up tattoos.
(09:46):
And it was just, you know,such an interesting way to really
kind of get exposed toagriculture in Saskatchewan, you
know, And I think, like, atone time I had figured out I had
spoken to something like50,000 kids, you know, because I
was so passionate about it.
I just.
That's all I really wanted to do.
And I.
I continued to do it throughuniversity, even into working for
(10:07):
the health region.
I did a little bit of speakingfor the Power Pack program.
And, you know, it was so coolto see all of these kids from all
over the province come tothese trainings.
So we had kids from, you know,by Prince Albert south, like by Oxbow
and Estevan, Maple Creek toMelville and Yorkton, and all over
(10:28):
the province all came together.
And, you know, we're trained,got to meet, we know each other,
got to build that, you know, that.
Those friendships.
And I'm still friends withfolks that were in the program to
this day.
And this has been like 30years almost, you know, to just really
understand, you know, how weas children could impact other kids,
right?
And having those conversationsand, you know, and it really developed
(10:51):
a lot of skills in myself, too.
Public speaking, you know,time management.
I can read a map very well.
Not that you need it anymore,but man, you know, you find in Munster,
Saskatchewan, on a map, ongrid roads, you know, those sorts
of skills, like, you reallydevelop them.
You're traveling all over thecountry side with, you know, look
(11:11):
to go talk to the kids atschool about farm safety.
So, you know, it was such areally good program and so valuable.
And I owe a lot to, you know,Judy George and the Saskatchewan
Safety Council, that's for sure.
And I just think, like, what abrilliant idea to have kids speak
to other kids, right?
Like, it's one thing for, youknow, your parent or an adult on
(11:34):
a farm to tell you don't do that.
That's dangerous.
But in the eyes of a kid,sometimes we think, well, our parents
think everything is dangerous, right?
Like we should be bubble wrapped.
But when it's a kid talking toanother kid, I think there's a way
that we can communicate inwhich they can understand that, hey,
(11:55):
maybe jumping in that grainbin isn't such a great idea, right?
Like just.
And you don't, as you getolder, hopefully your mind adapts
to think of things differently.
But when you are a kid andthinking like a kid, we might not
do things that would be,quote, smart to do.
No, absolutely.
And you know, and sometimes,you know, even as parents grow, you
(12:18):
know, raising kids on thefarm, we, we, you know, you know,
sometimes we're overestimatedin our ability for farm kids, right?
You know, oh, you know, likemy brother for example, he was probably
born 30 years old, but he wasstill a kid.
He was still very much a child.
But my parents really hadfaith in him.
They, they really thought thathe, you know, at very tender ages,
(12:38):
just had a lot of ability andhe did to some extent, but he was
still very much a child.
And you know, the risks thatwere taken, you know, are not appropriate.
They weren't appropriate then,they're not appropriate now.
You know, those injuries, youknow, those close calls, those sorts
of things that we think, oh,you know, it's just part of growing
up with the farm.
It really isn't right puttingthose, the lives of children at risk.
(12:59):
It's really heartbreaking,right, to see the stats, you know,
seeing under fours being ran over.
Under four year olds have thehighest rate of deaths in on Canadian
farms other than anybody overthe age of 60.
So, you know, being able totalk to kids as a kid and being like,
you know, you know, sometimes,you know, we might think that it's
(13:21):
okay and maybe our mom andsome dads, just maybe they don't
see that it's not safe andit's okay to say something, you know,
even being able to encouragekids to talk, to speak up and say,
hey, you know, I know we livewell, we've lived with this for a
long time and we did on our farm.
And it's okay to talk aboutit, right, and say, hey, mom and
dad, you know, I've noticedthat maybe, you know, this doesn't
really smell seem that safe,you know, so empowering kids, right,
(13:43):
to be able to speak up.
Because I think, you know,parents are doing the best they can.
They're doing what they canwith what they've Got and you know,
we always appreciate that.
Right, that's, that's true.
Like I see my, my brothers areboth raising kids on the farm and
they're doing their darn best.
And those kids are happy,healthy and safe, you know, most
of the time.
Occasionally, you know, there,there are things that can be improved.
(14:06):
Absolutely.
That's just like ineverybody's life.
But I, you know, I appreciatethat and I think that it's just really
great to be, empower folks,you know, children, including children
to be able to talk about thatstuff that's happening on their farms.
Yeah, absolutely, absolutely.
I want to get into your rolewith the Canadian Agricultural Safety
Association.
(14:27):
What is the mission for yourorganization and what are you hoping
to achieve with farmers in Canada?
So CAST is a mission and I'mgoing to read it to you because I
can't remember it off the topof my head ever.
It's to engage with communitypartners to promote safety and health
and agriculture, but byproviding leadership, support and
(14:49):
resources.
And what that really means isthat we work with partners in order
to reduce and eliminate farminjuries across Canada.
That's really what that boilsdown to.
Right.
So you know, we're reallysmall, not for profit.
You have one quarter of your,of our staff with you here today.
There's four staff.
We are really smallorganization, we're itty bitty, you
(15:12):
know, so we are very small andwe really depend on those boots on
the ground organizations, ourprovincial partners, you know, those
people that are doing thatwork on the ground, you know, to
bring that health and safety,you know, to folks.
So we work with those, thosefolks, you know, through campaigns
and programs to bring theinformation and resources that we
need to improve health andsafety on Canadian farms.
(15:33):
The reality is we're seeingabout 60 people killed in agriculture
related incidents, incidents ayear in Canada.
And you know, I always joke, Iwould love not to have a job.
I could do something else.
I like, I could, there's no problem.
I could do something else.
If, if we had no injuries anddeaths on farms, I would be happy
to do something else, youknow, so it's all about making sure
(15:54):
that those farms and farmfamilies are thriving, successful
and sustainable.
You know, I just mentioned myfamily farm has been in our family
for over 100 years, since 1905.
You know, but the reality isif we are not, you know, addressing
the issues, you know, at thatfarm gate level, health and safety,
(16:14):
mental health, we aren't goingto see those farms continue to thrive
and succeed.
So for me it's all aboutkeeping farm families healthy and
safe for the next generation?
Absolutely.
And when I think of the numberlike that you had mentioned, the
average number of deaths thathappen on farms, in the totality
(16:35):
of it, it doesn't seem like a lot.
But when we think of 60, Ithink of 60 businesses and farms
being affected by that number.
And if those 60 people wereowner operators of these farms, does
that mean 60 of our farms inour country are going under.
Right.
Are not able to produce thefood or the resources or any of those
(16:59):
things that we need in thisworld to keep going?
Right.
And.
And like you said, wouldn'tyou just love to have a different
job?
Maybe like you could doanything else, but the fact that,
you know, farm safety affectsall of us every single day.
We all make choices on ouroperations every single day that
(17:21):
will affect our health andsafety, whether it's physical or
whether it's mental.
You talked a lot about thedifferent partnerships that you have,
which obviously are superimportant to a small organization
like yours.
What are some of the programsthat you and your partners have been
able to implement and whathave been some of the greatest impacts
(17:44):
that you've seen come fromthese partnerships?
Yeah, that's a great question.
We have some flagship programsthat we're so proud of that, you
know, it's.
We've worked really hard toget them off the ground.
You know, one that I work onevery year, Canadian Agricultural
Safety Week, and that's heldon the third week of March of every
year.
And that is really just acelebration of farm safety.
We try not to talk too muchabout the negative and the sad.
(18:05):
Everybody wants to rubberneck.
I'm included in that.
You know, I want to know allthe details.
I love the rubber neck, but,you know, when we promote happy,
healthy success, we can strivetowards happy, healthy success.
So Canadian culture C2, isalways, always about, you know, how
can we celebrate what we'redoing right, and how can we do that,
(18:25):
those things even more right,and how do we lift up those parts
of, you know, that we're notdoing so great in?
So that's.
That's one program we work on.
Something that's upcomingright away is our.
Is our new.
This will be our second yeardoing it is Kids Farm Safe Week.
And that was really inresponse to that Canadian culture
injury reporting data that wegot in 2020.
Well, including 2020, thattalks about kids under four and their.
(18:49):
Their rates of death.
That was really quite jarring, unfortunately.
Not surprising, but veryjarring to see that, you know, we're
seeing so many young childrenbeing ran over on the farm.
And that's generally howthey're being killed, is being ran
over.
And so in response to that, wethought, you know what, let's just
start celebrating kids on the farm.
And how do we get kids moreinvolved in talking about farm safety?
(19:12):
How do we get parents to talkabout farm safety?
How do we get schools to talkabout farm safety more across this
country?
And so Kids Farm Safety Weekwas born out of that.
So, you know, working towards,you know, having resources and information
and those sorts of things available.
And something else that we'vestarted in about 2017 was our Be
Grain Safe program.
And Be Grain Safe, you know,was born out of the need of seeing
(19:35):
increased grain entrapmentsacross Canada.
Larger yields, betterequipment, faster moving augers,
things like that.
You know, gone are the days ofthe six inch auger, right like that.
Those are really, you know,we're not seeing a lot of that, but
we're seeing a lot more, youknow, bushels being moved per second,
you know, through these,through equipment and things like
(19:56):
that.
So we were seeing increasedentrapments and engulfments due to
grain.
So Be Grain Safe as a twopronged approach.
One is the prevention side ofthings and then one is the training
side of things.
You know, of course, the bestway to keep someone from dying in
grain is keeping them out of grain.
So that's where the preventionside comes in.
(20:16):
So we have Rubbery Grain Safeweek in August.
We have lots of resources andinformation about, you know, those
sorts of things, keeping grainin good condition, you know, making
sure the bins are ready for toaccept grain as harvest happens,
those sorts of things.
And then we also have our BeGrain Safe trailer and it travels
the country.
So it goes from east to westone year and west, west to east the
(20:37):
other year.
And it trains the firedepartments, rural fire departments,
on how to extract someonesafely from grain.
And that's been a real great program.
We've seen actually threerescues, successful rescues of folks
that have taken part of inthat grain rescue training.
And that's just what we know of.
There could be more.
We don't know, but I mean, thefact that three people's lives have
(21:00):
been saved because of theknowledge that we've been able to,
you know, give to these folkson the ground has been incredible.
So those are some of our majorprograms that we do.
And we also have otherprograms like our Back to Egg program,
which is funded by Farm CreditCanada, and it helps dramatically
injured farmers get back tofarming safely.
So we're able to provide agrant up to $20,000 for technology.
(21:23):
So we've done things like sitto stand wheelchairs, cattle handling
systems, those sorts of things.
So that's also a really greatprogram that we're really proud of.
And we also have things likeour Canadian culture injury reporting,
which is the best data onagricultural injection fatalities
in the world.
And it is done because we havean incredibly dedicated cohort that
goes to coroner's offices anddoes extraction of death data.
(21:47):
So we know where to focus alot of energy.
So that's how we know howunder fours are getting killed in
agriculture, that sort of thing.
So it's a very good, it's verygood data.
The worst part is about thedata is we don't actually know about
things like life alteringinjuries or lost time injuries or
close calls that we can't track.
(22:08):
So we don't know what thoselook like just because of the nature
of being able to track that data.
But that is also an incrediblyimportant program.
And care data gets used acrossthe world.
It's world class and we'rereally, really proud of that as well.
Robyn, your organization doesso many things to keep us safe and
I just, I want to take aminute to say thank you for that.
(22:30):
As a farmer myself, and as anew farmer, I, you know, I didn't
recognize and realize how manydangers there is in my absolute everyday
life here on the farm and thework that we're doing.
What do you think this iscoming from, I guess your time on
a grain farm as well as yourtime in your role?
(22:52):
What are some of the biggestchallenges that is facing farm safety
from the farmer's perspectiveand from your perspective, from the
data that you've seen?
I think it's time pressure.
There's only so many hours ina day.
There's only, only so manysunny days.
There's only so many days thatare frost free.
(23:13):
There's all, there's only somany, so much energy, right?
So when you're out and about,and I think you can speak to this
better than I can, Caitlin,but when you're, when you're out,
out there and you're like, Igotta get this crop off, I haven't
slept in 18 hours.
I don't know.
Last time I ate, man, I'vebeen drinking mountain dew for 15,
15 hours straight just to stayawake, you know.
(23:36):
So I think about that, I thinkabout that pressure, you know, like
that is a lot of pressure tohave when you are running Your own
business and you, you know,and it's just not just even farm
work.
And then it's like, I got todo these taxes.
I got to figure out what ourinputs are.
My gosh.
I got to talk to the bank again.
Oh, man.
What does this look like forthe markets?
(23:59):
That pressure is incredible.
It is incredible for ourfarmers and our farm families.
That is a lot of pressure.
And so sometimes we become complacent.
You know, we take shortcuts.
We go, oh, man, you know, Iknow that that PTO needs a guard
on it.
I do not have the time for itright now.
I'm just gonna work around it.
(24:19):
It'll be fine.
Oh, man.
I know I should lower that auger.
We're going over.
We're going underneath thatpower line.
But, you know, it's been fine before.
I got to get this done.
We gotta go, go, go, you know.
Oh, you know, I really shoulddrink some water.
I really should have a good sleep.
You know what?
I just.
We don't have time for thatright now.
(24:40):
So I think time pressure,emotional pressure, you know, stress
has a lot to do with sometimes things.
Shortcuts we might take,choices we might make that we might
not normally make.
I think that that happens alot depending on kids because there's
just so much work and only somany hands.
Even things like, oh, man,someone's gotta go check those cat,
(25:03):
those cows, you know, we'vegot calves coming, I got no daycare.
I gotta take the kids with me.
Right?
Like, there's just a lot of,like, hurdles, pressure, time restraints,
stress that can really lead tofolks, you know, making choices they
might not normally take,taking shortcuts, you know, the fatigue
(25:24):
factor, just the sheerexhaustion factor, you know, driving
a piece of equipment down theroad, forgetting to put the lights
on, you know, forgetting tosignal, forgetting to shoulder check,
forgetting being like, I don'thave somebody's.
No, there's nobody here to bea flag vehicle.
I got to get this moved.
Oh, it'll fit between allthose railroad tracks.
(25:44):
It's fine.
I'm not going to get stuck.
Right?
So there's a lot of hazardsout there that if we don't mitigate
those hazards right from theget go, you know, they become real
problems.
Right.
Or taking risks that we mightnot normally take.
So from my perspective, it isa lot of different things that lead
to, you know, incidents andinjuries, unfortunately, death.
(26:05):
Absolutely.
Well, and you said it well,these things have worked good enough
before, so why don't they justkeep working good enough to continue.
Right.
I think we all have work to doon our respective operations and
it does take time to implementsome of these things.
But like you said, you know,these things are important because
(26:25):
what could take 15 minutes tofix now could save essentially a
life later.
Right.
And, and having thoseconversations, I think with farm
families and workers on the farm.
Right.
Like people that are notdirectly involved with your every
day to day business, they comeand do their job and they go home
at the end of the night.
Like, let's make sure thateverybody gets to do that regardless
(26:48):
of what their position is onthe farm.
Yeah.
You know, your, your listenerscan't see me.
Non.
Vigorously.
Yes, I'm agreeing.
Yeah.
And it's also really goodbusiness sense when you think about
it.
Right.
Because you know, lost time,you lose time, you can't gain that
time back.
And that's what'll happen ifyou even, even a lost time injury.
Right.
You know, I have to go get stitches.
(27:09):
Well, you know, it's not lifealtering, but it does take half a
day, you know, gotta driveinto town, the locum's gotta come
in, gotta get the stitches.
You know what I mean?
So that does take time.
Right.
And then of course you've gotstitches you got to keep clean and
deal with.
Right.
So even, even that kind ofstuff, you know, if we can prevent
those injuries from happeningin the first place, it's really good
(27:29):
business sense.
And you did mention thisearlier and there was a paper done.
It's, it's a bit dated now,but it talked about, you know, the
death of a primary producer.
And the death of a primaryproducer often means the end of the
farm.
So even thinking about it inthat aspect, you know, losing the
whole farm, you know, becauseof a preventable, you know, death,
you know, that's, that'sextremely tragic in my opinion.
(27:52):
You know, it is, it is.
It's just tragic that, youknow, we're losing family farms because
of things that are very preventable.
So, you know, hazardmitigation, you know, when you're
not really busy, which is notnow getting into seeding, seating.
It's not now, it's before this.
Right.
Where we can take some timeand go, oh yeah, you know what?
(28:15):
Equipment maintenance, let'smake sure the slow moving vehicle
sign looks good.
It's, it's fixed.
I'll do our lights work.
How are our shields?
You know, how are these thingsworking out?
You know, I've been meaning tofill that hole because someone's
going to trip in it.
I got to Clean up the shopbecause you've got all these tripping
hazards and flammable hazardsthat we've got to look after.
(28:35):
So taking that time before youget really busy to just mitigate
as many risks as you can.
Right.
There's a hierarchy of hazard control.
So eliminating risk risks islike the first thing you can do to
prevent injuries.
Right.
So just get rid of them.
Like, let's eliminate risks oreliminate hazards.
I'm sorry.
So looking at those sorts ofthings being like, what can we do
to make lives easier and safer?
(28:57):
Right.
Before you get too busy.
Yeah, absolutely.
Absolutely.
So we mentioned a bit, youknow, we're talking a lot about our
physical health, but why ismental health important?
Farm safety for the farm.
And how is CASA and theirpartners working to improve the health
(29:20):
and safety in the mentalhealth sense?
This is a really goodquestion, and it's something that
Cass has worked on for a longtime back.
Cass started in 1993.
So when I was still.
You and I were both still veryyoung pups, I think, at that point.
And there was a really greatconversation out of University of
Saskatchewan, Dr.
Jim Dawson, who's thegrandfather of agricultural health
(29:41):
and medicine, and he talksabout sleeplessness in Saskatchewan,
talks about sleep and whatkind of impact sleep has on our health,
our mental health and ourphysical health.
And so this has been a bit ofa conversation, you know, maybe not
in the way we talk about itnow, but for a really long time.
So we think about things likeeven just sleep, something like sleep,
(30:01):
which is a very physical thingto do, but it also impacts our mental
health, like to an extreme event.
I don't know, be you.
But when I don't get enoughsleep, I am very cranky.
I'm very hungry.
I make really bad choices.
I have a bad temper.
You know, there are a lot ofthings that I do when I do not sleep
well.
Right.
(30:21):
That I wouldn't normally dowhen I'm well rested.
So we talk about things likesleep and how that impacts not only
our mental health, but ourphysical health.
And that's really intertwined.
Also things like nutrition.
We also talk about that eating well.
Right.
That impacts both our mentalhealth and our physical health.
So we talk about that a lot.
And then we talk about thingslike stress.
Right.
And what we can control, whatwe can't control.
(30:43):
You know, so it's reallyimportant to kind of differentiate
those two things.
I can't do anything about the markets.
Absolutely nothing.
There's nothing I can do.
But I can, you know, manage mytime in A way that works best for
me that I can do, you know, sothose sorts of things.
You know, casa's really,really lucky to work with such great
(31:04):
partners like the Canadianculture, the Canadian center for
agricultural well being, CCAWdo more.
AgSafe.
BC is doing a lot of reallygreat stuff in the mental health
area.
And we actually have on ourwebsite our hub, our mental health
hub, where we try to collate,you know, because sometimes people
just don't know where to go.
Where do I go for this information?
(31:24):
I don't know where to go tohave this conversation about, you
know, manage, you know,interpersonal relationships on the
farm.
That's causing me a lot of stress.
Where can I go to find outthis information?
I need something in French.
Where do I go for something in French?
And we try to put everythingin that hub so people can go on our
website and go, oh, okay, thisis what I need.
(31:45):
This is the area where I'mlooking for and that sort of thing,
you know, and also just beinghonest, honest about it, talking
about mental health.
Everybody has mental health, right?
We all do.
And just like our physicalhealth, sometimes our mental health
is great, sometimes it's maybenot so great.
And that's okay, right?
It's.
That's okay.
It is totally okay.
So being able to just be like,yeah, you know what?
(32:05):
That's totally fine, you know, understood.
We got you, you know, andhaving that hub and being able to
point folks in the rightdirection about where they might
need help, that's reallyimportant to us.
And, you know, and just.
And like I said, just beingable to talk about it, right?
And being like, hey, it'sokay, everybody has struggles, everybody
goes through highs and lows,and that's totally fine.
(32:27):
Everybody doesn't always getenough sleep all the time.
And perhaps has some of thethings that you mentioned, like,
it's a little, little crankythe next day, this host included.
So it's like you said,everybody has mental health and let's
work all together to make itmental wellness and how can we be
well and what are the toolsthat we need?
(32:48):
So we're going to linkeverything about the hub and everything
in the show notes so peoplecan find that and use that as a resource.
(33:44):
I want to talk about theunique safety challenges that women
face in a farm setting andwhat CASA has done or what some tips
and tricks we have for to keepall of the women's safe on the farm.
You.
That's a great question.
We actually worked with FarmManagement Canada to do a study because
(34:06):
we're like, okay, we'd like tohear, you know, from women about,
you know, what, what are, whatare the, some of the challenges that
they're facing.
And you know, it was prettyinteresting to kind of hear what
they had to say.
And you know, a lot of it wasthings that, you know, we kind of
had heard of or, you know,very much so.
It was things like, I don'tneed a pink set of coveralls, I actually
(34:27):
just need a set of coverallsthat fit.
I don't need pink gloves, Ijust need gloves that fit.
So ppe, right?
A PPE that fits, that'sappropriate, that makes sense for
women on the farm.
That was definitely came up.
Some other things that wereinteresting that came up were things
like women carrying the burdenof safety, right?
They're the ones that arealways like, hey, hey, hey, hey,
(34:49):
hey, hey.
You know, that doesn't seemlike that's going to be okay.
So having to carry that burdenof safety on the farm and being the,
one of the voice of reason, soto speak, about safety on the farm
and then things like, youknow, child care, making sure children
are safe on the farm, youknow, very stressful, you know, for
(35:09):
women, you know, when they'rethinking about their own safety,
you know, and when I wasactually, when I talk advancing women
where I met you, I had areally great conversation with a
lady and she, she was, she wastalking and she was facing silage
and her older kids and herthree year old were at home and they
live on the same yard as the grandparents.
(35:30):
And you know, she was like,okay, you know, your three year old
brother is still sleeping.
Can you just make sure youkeep an eye on him?
You know, I'm gonna, I gottago do this farm work, you know, I,
you know, I can't, you know,be in two places at one time, right?
So she's out there doingsomething that is potentially quite
hazardous and, and all of asudden she gets a phone call on her
cell phone and her teenage,you know, teenager can't find the
(35:53):
three year old, you know, sothere she is trying to do something
dangerous and now she'sworried about where her three year
old is.
So she's put herself at riskbecause now she's stressing about
where her kid is.
And of course the kid couldvery well be at risk because she
doesn't know where he is.
So that combination, right, ofthat stress and that worry and then
(36:14):
also the real risk of herbeing putting herself in danger and,
or that child being in dangerluckily he'd wandered over to grandma's,
grandma had him, everythingwas fine.
But that concern, that worry,that pressure, that responsibility
for women on the farm is immense.
That's a lot of burden to carry.
You know, and also talkingabout, and I mentioned this before
(36:34):
the third shift, right?
There's a lot of women,yourself included, you have multiple
jobs, right?
You have multiple jobs, youknow, so they're working a full time
job off the farm.
Lots of times they need to,you know, supplement the income,
they need health care, youknow, they need all that, they need
that stuff for, to keep thefarm viable.
(36:54):
So they're doing all of thatwork, but then they're also coming
home farming full time, right?
So they're doing those twojobs and then you throw children
on top of that.
And then the primary parent,they've got like, they're on ball
practice and hockey practiceand they're going to parent teacher
interviews or volunteering atthe school.
You know, the 4H leaders, theyare working a lot like, and that
(37:17):
is a lot of hats, a lot ofstress and a lot for one person to
carry.
So women on the farm, youknow, and I have nothing but respect
when people say I'm a farm wife.
You are, that's fine.
But you're also many, many,many other things, things, you know,
you are all sorts of things.
You are doing so much for somany people and sometimes you get
(37:38):
forgotten, right?
That you as a person get forgot.
You, your health, your wellbeing, your mental health sometimes
goes to the back burner andthat is not okay, nor is it safe
for women on the farm.
Robin, I think we just have totake a minute, like to all like,
myself included, be mistyabout that.
Because sometimes like, likehearing that from somebody and that
(38:00):
acknowledgement that that isliterally how many hats you are wearing
in a 24 hour basis on anygiven day is a lot.
And to hear that and to haveit recognized causes me great overwhelm.
And I know it is causing otherpeople overwhelm as well.
So we're just gonna take aminute to acknowledge that.
(38:23):
But it's, it is so true.
And the parts that you'resaying about we don't need pink coveralls,
we just need things that fit.
We just need things that weare able to physically move or have
the ability to physically dothis, right?
I always found it, you know,such like a double edged sword as
(38:44):
a woman who would identify asstubbornly independent to have to
ask for help for somethingthat's either physical or, you know,
emotional or any of Thosethings, it takes a lot.
But to have people surroundingyou and to have partnerships and
to have businesses that you'reable to help one another with these
(39:07):
things, I think is super important.
And I think at the end of theday, it has to come back to the conversations.
Unfortunately, like you said,a lot of it falls on the women to
have these conversations abouthealth and safety.
You're basically the hat thatyou're wearing is the health and
safety coordinator, but thatalso includes you in that conversation.
(39:28):
To have that conversation say,I can't do all of this.
I can't have a three year oldat home being watched by so and so
because I need to go do this.
What are ways that we can workaround this?
Right?
And to be able to have thelanguage and the conversations, to
have this and to know it'sokay to say this isn't working for
me.
Like, we need to figure out inour family, in our business, what
(39:52):
are the tools that we can useto get through this season, right?
To keep everyone safe.
Yeah.
No, I mean, and, you know, Ithink it might be a farmer thing.
I'm not totally sure, but likethis idea that we're silos, right?
That we're just so strong andindependent, we can just do everything
by ourselves.
I am really guilty of this.
(40:13):
You know, my husband is like,hey, what are you doing?
And I'm like, well, it's fine.
I've got this ladder and I gotthe bucket.
I can do this, it's fine.
And he's like, what?
You know, And I go, oh, right,right, right, right.
You're right, you're right.
I need to stop and take aminute and go, oh, yeah, you know
what?
I need some help.
And it's okay becauseeverybody needs help, you know, and
(40:33):
being able to offer that helpfreely as well and be like, hey,
that's okay.
You know, I think that that'sreally, really important.
You know, you, like you said, it's.
It's so interesting to see,you know, folks that are, you know,
women especially, right.
That just take on thoseburdens and, and kind of sometimes
forget about that.
(40:53):
They're included in that too.
Right.
That, that they're, they're important.
Self care.
And, you know, self care isn'tjust taking a bubble bath.
It's also being like, I go tothe doctor.
Oh, gosh, you know, I need tomake sure my boots fit.
Those sorts of things.
Right?
Like, you know, that kind ofself care.
Yeah, absolutely.
Absolutely.
I have to find a hat to coverthis long hair that I swear Every
(41:15):
man in agriculture, if youhave long hair and walk near an implement,
it is their duty and right totell you about how dangerous your
long hair is, which is true.
But that is a joke amongst thewomen on the farm.
It's like, yes, I know.
That's why it's tied back in ahat, like, away from where it can
(41:36):
get get stanked.
I mean, I appreciate thatthey're understanding entanglement
hazards now.
Don't get me wrong.
Yeah, I knew you would be.
I knew you would be.
But then let's have aconversation about your ratty coveralls
there, Bob.
Yeah, exactly, exactly.
Your shoes are untied currently.
(41:57):
Yeah, exactly.
Let us.
That is also a tripping hazard.
Let's have a conversation.
Yeah, let me help you withthat, Bob.
Robin, you mentioned before,you know, we talk a lot about the.
The horror stories and the sadstories that happen with farm safety.
You did mention one before.
But what are some standoutmoments or success stories that have
(42:21):
really reaffirmed yourcommitment to improving farm safety
for Canadians?
You know, I think, you know,those things have always been a bit
of a reinvigorating moment,you know, being like, I really wish
that we didn't hear about anyof these things.
I really do.
I really wish it was like,there's no.
Nobody's ever been entrappedin grade and, you know, and I'd be
like, yeah, that's great.
(42:41):
Really happy.
But hearing about those days,really understanding that that training,
that knowledge really made adifference is always just very, you
know, much, you know, a verymuch a, you know, a moment for me
going, okay, this is worth it, right?
Like, this is worth it.
This is worth, you know, youknow, the amount of work we do, you
know, with the small staffthat we have, with the budgets we
(43:03):
have, trying to get thisinformation out.
There we go.
Okay, that's worth it, right?
That sort of thing.
And I think just.
Even just seeing things like,you know, safety days for kids.
We partner with Progressive, afoundation, to have safety days for
kids across Canada.
And it's always really greatwhenever I can get out there and
see a safety day happening,I'm seeing all these really cute
little kids wearing their farmsafety day T shirts.
(43:25):
And they're asking.
Asking questions about thetractor, or they're asking questions
about the ATV or they'reasking questions about the railroad.
And they're really engaged andexcited to learn about, you know,
the things in their communityand their farms, you know, that,
you know, could be potentialhazards for them.
And I think that that's alwaysreally exciting, you know, to see
kids engaged like that andpeople engaged and, you know, even
(43:48):
just having conversations.
Like having conversation withyou, Caitlin, honestly, like having
these conversations andsitting with that lady, you know,
and talking about thatincident that happened to her and
being able to be thatlistening ear occasionally when people
want to talk about stuff like this.
Because, you know, I get it.
I totally understand wherepeople are coming from.
Like, we listen, we don'tjudge, Right.
(44:09):
Like, it's a great meme.
Like, it is, you know, becausepeople are doing the best with what
they've got, and I just wantpeople to have more so they can do
better, so that their farmscan be better, they can be better,
they can be safer for theirentire lives, and then they die,
99 years of age in their bed,surrounded by their loved ones, having
lived the most beautiful andwonderful life.
(44:31):
Absolutely.
I.
I love that.
And it is the perfect meme foryour organization.
We listen and we don't judgebecause truly, I think when we know
better, we do better, right?
And hopefully we know betterby not experiencing some of these
accidents or safety hazards oranything like that.
We just learn from otherpeople sharing their stories, or
(44:51):
we learn from, you know, minorincidents that have happened and,
like, what can we do betternext time?
Because literally accidents dohappen, right?
And there are things that arepreventable, and then there's other
things that just happen.
Right?
And we all get through it andwe learn from it.
Right.
And being able to share thesestories and to share your expertise,
(45:13):
I think is so importantbecause farm safety does affect us
all.
And it's something that,unfortunately, I don't think we think
enough about, but it issomething that's a super important
conversation to have.
Yeah, I appreciate that.
And I think, like most.
I honestly think mostincidences are completely preventable,
you know, and I think it's.
It's things like just lookingat things with new eyes even.
(45:36):
I think that really is helpful.
It's helpful to me.
Anyways, there are really lot.
We have one the Canada Farmsafe plan.
But there are fantastic resortresources out there for folks that
want to do, like, a hazardassessment on their farm.
And they go, that maybe can belike doing a walkabout and being
like, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, okay.
(45:57):
Yeah, I didn't realize that was.
That was actually a problem.
But now, oh, that's an easy fix.
Oh, that's not so probable.
That's not so bad.
We can actually, you know,make that.
Make that change, you know, SoI think.
I think there is a way toprevent so.
So many incidences and intricate.
I think there is.
It's just a matter of beinglike, what's important?
What does our time look like?
(46:17):
You know, where do we put thisin the scheme of things?
Those sorts of things.
Right.
So, you know, it's.
It's not easy.
It is an investment.
I'm not, you know, and no judgment.
Right.
Like, we do that.
Like I said, we do the bestwith what we got.
And sometimes we just havethis much energy, sometimes we have
way more energy, sometimes wejust have this much time, sometimes
(46:38):
we have lots more time.
But we do the best we can withwhat we've got at the time.
Absolutely, absolutely.
What are some future plans ordevelopments that you can share with
us in regards to CASA and farmsafety in Canada?
Well, we are, like I said,we're going to be launching Kids
Farm SafeWeek.
It's the third week in May, soI would really encourage everybody
(46:59):
to check out the website.
We're really lucky to have agreat partner with basf and they
have their Safety Scoutsprogram, which is a fantastic program.
It's a great way to getfamilies talking about safety.
You can order a kit from them,you get a little vest for your kids,
they get a little program,they can talk about Safety Scouts.
And it's a really fun way toget families talking about farm safety.
(47:21):
So that's part of the FarmSafe Kids week that's coming out.
CASA always has downloadableresources for children as well on
our Kids Farm Safe page page.
We're also working towards anonline conference or a conference.
We're not totally sure exactlywhat that's going to look like coming
out in the fall.
So if anybody wants to learnmore about our conference, you know,
check or keep an eye on our website.
(47:42):
We also host forums on the regular.
So we're actually having areally interesting one coming up
on May 14th with Alma Jordanfrom Agrikids out of Ireland.
And she's going to be talkingabout, you know, the challenges that
they face with Pharmacy forkids as well.
Yeah.
So that's kind of what we'redoing in the next, you know, six
to eight months and, you know,working on our next funding ask as
(48:06):
well.
So that's.
That's in the works.
So, you know, trying tounderstand, you know, where we need
to be focusing our attention.
But of course, things likeCanadian Cultural Safety Week and
care, you know, Kids SafetyWeek, BE Grant Safe are all really
flagship programs that we arecontinuing to work on as we go forward.
Absolutely.
So many good things that youand your small but mighty team are
(48:27):
doing with all of your partners.
And as a Canadian farmer, Ijust want to say thank you for the
work that you do and keepingus safe and keeping us aware.
My last question for you,Robin, that I always ask folks, is
what is the most rewardingpart about keeping farmers safe for
you?
I think that's just it.
(48:47):
Keeping farms safe, right?
You know, I love going to afarm show and seeing a farm, family.
Family just walking around, right?
I go, man, you know, that isso wonderful.
I love that.
Like, something about thatjust makes me so happy, you know,
I love that so much.
I love going out to mybrothers, you know, their farms,
and I love seeing them, theirkids just growing up on that farm.
(49:11):
I love that so much.
You know, I just think about,you know, the work that we do, why
we do it.
And we do it for those folks, right?
We do it for those folks thatare, you know, working so hard every
day, you know, and knows the grindstone.
Not a lot of thanks, you know,a lot of times, you know, a lot of
(49:32):
stress and a lot of.
A lot of just really toughstuff that people, they have to work
through.
And I think, man, that's whowe do it for.
We do it for those people.
And so that, for me, is sorewarding, and I'm so excited.
It's.
It's seeding seasons coming uphere right away and seeing those.
Those.
Those machines work in thosefields and seeing those people driving
(49:52):
down the road giving a wave,you know, that's who we do this for
every day.
So good.
So good.
Robin, for the folks who wouldlike to connect with you and Casa
after the show, where can theyfind you online?
They can check us out on ourwebsite at Casa Acsa.
And we're also on the metaplatform, so Facebook and Instagram
(50:15):
planfarmsafety.
They can also find us on LinkedIn.
So we'd love a follow amessage, and you can check.
You can email me from ourwebsite as well.
So, you know, happy to hearfrom anybody if we can help in any
way.
We'd love to.
We'd love to do so.
Perfect.
And I will link all of those,including the hub, with all of the
resources in the show notes sopeople can find you and connect with
(50:36):
you.
You.
Perfect.
That sounds great.
Thank you again so much forsharing your story with us today
and keeping us safe.
Robyn, thank you so much.
Thank you, Caitlin.
I appreciate everything thatyou're doing and getting these messages
out there.
So thank you.
Thanks for listening to theRural Woman podcast.
(50:57):
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(51:20):
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(51:43):
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(52:04):
together.
Until next time my friend.
Keep sharing your story.
Hi, I'm Caitlin Dubin and thisis the Rural Woman Podcast.
I'm a first generation farmerwho married into agriculture.
Born and raised in a city, Iwas so unfamiliar with where my food
came from, but I wasdetermined to figure it out.
Through my journey intoagriculture, I saw women who were
(01:01):
strong but humble, oftentaking a backseat.
To me.
These women were leaders whodeserved a seat at the table.
I created the Rural WomenPodcast to share the voices of women
in an industry whose storiesoften went untold.
The rural entrepreneurs wholive and breathe their work full
(01:23):
of grit and pride.
We come here to share ourstories, to be in community with
each other, to be challengedand inspired, but most importantly
importantly, to be celebratedand to be heard.
We may not all live farm,ranch or homestead the same, but
(01:43):
we are all connected.
We are rural women and ourstories are worthy of being told.
Hey everyone.
Welcome back to anotherepisode of the Rural Woman Podcast.
Today you'll meet Robin Anderson.
Robin is the Director ofPrograms and Communications at the
(02:06):
Canadian Agricultural Safety Association.
Growing up on a grain farm insouth central Saskatchewan as the
oldest of four children,Robin's passion for farm safety and
health began at a young age.
Her journey took her fromyouth ambassador with the Saskatchewan
Safety Council Power Packprogram to becoming an influential
(02:27):
advocate to dedicated toimproving the lives of farmers and
farm families across Canada.
In our conversation today,Robin shares her inspiring story
and discusses why farm safetyis not just a job, but a vital community
mission.
We'll dive into the uniquechallenges farmers face, such as
(02:47):
constant pressure of time andmental health struggles, and explore
essential topics like theinterconnectedness of sleeping, nutrition
and well being.
We also address specificsafety challenges faced by women
in agriculture, including theimportance of tailored personal protective
equipment and managing theemotional weight of ensuring safety
(03:09):
on the farm.
Robin shares impactful successstories highlighting the positive
changes brought by effectivetraining and community engagement.
Plus, Robin gives us a lookahead at exciting initiatives like
Kid Farm Safe Week andupcoming safety forums aimed at making
farms safer for everyone.
(03:29):
I cannot wait for you to meetRobin and hear all of the insightful
information she has for usabout keeping us safe on farms.
Without further ado, myfriends, let's get to this week's
episode with Robin.
(03:49):
Robin, welcome to the RealWoman podcast.
How are you today?
I'm well.
Thank you so much for havingme, Caitlyn.
I really appreciate you takingthe time to talk about things that
are passionate to me.
I am very excited to dive inwith you, Robin.
I had the pleasure of meetingyou last year at a conference in
person and Heard a little bitabout your story and was very intrigued
(04:10):
to learn all about your story.
So I'm happy to have you back.
And for the folks who areunfamiliar with you, Robin, give
us your background, tell uswho you are, where you're from, and
what your connection toagriculture is.
Well, my name is RobinAnderson and I am a farm kid from
Saskatchewan.
I grew up on a farm in southcentral Saskatchewan.
Grain farm, south small grainfarm, you know, with my folks.
(04:33):
And I have three younger siblings.
So, you know, I suffer fromeldest daughter syndrome.
Right.
Mother hen making sureeverybody's, you know, got everything
they need and looking afterthem and, you know, just kind of
being that third parent, youknow, growing up on the farm.
So, you know, I grew up on thefarm and, you know, agriculture is
really, you know, who we were.
(04:53):
You know, it was a big part ofour identity, right?
Being farm kids, growing upwith farm kids riding the bus, you
know, two hours a day to go toa rural school.
Very sheltered in that way, right?
But a really great way to grow up.
Right?
Understanding how our food hasgrown and having that community built
right into it.
And, you know, as I grew up, Ireally realized that, you know, the
(05:17):
well being of the people thatgrew our food is, you know, one of
the most important things to me.
It was always, you know, interesting.
You know, when we were growingup, we would hear about, you know,
people being injured on thefarm or hurt.
My dad had an incident himselflosing part of a finger.
My brother was in an incident,my sister was in an incident.
And not life changing, butdefinitely something that is core
(05:40):
memories.
You know, things that you go,oh, gosh, yeah, that really impacts
you.
And, you know, so growing up,that was.
I was always really worriedabout people, you know, their safety,
well being, you know, on ourfarm especially, but our neighbors
and friends and those sorts of things.
And when I was about 15 yearsold, the Saskatchewan Safety Council
came up with a great programcalled the Power Pack and was sponsored
(06:00):
by SAS Power.
And it was about youth talkingto other kids about farm safety.
And my mom saw the ad and shesaid, oh, gosh, you are such a worry
wart.
This is right up your alley.
You are just always so worriedabout everybody else and how they're
doing.
So, you know, she was like,you need to apply.
And I did.
And, you know, I found a realpassion for it.
(06:21):
I thought this is great, likebeing able to, you know, have this
attention of these kids totalk about something that I was really
passionate about and that wastheir well being, you know, as they're
growing up on the farm andthat kind of morphed.
Went to school and, you know,in Saskatoon, University of Saskatchewan.
And after university, I wasreally privileged to join the Regina
Copel Health region as apharmacy coordinator and, you know,
(06:44):
really getting my feet wet andlearned a lot.
You know, I was such a newbie,you know, being so young, you know,
trying to understand, youknow, what.
What are the impacts?
What does it look like for farmers?
How did their safety and wellbeing, how is that impacted by what
they do for a living?
How is that impacted by, youknow, women working a job off farm,
working on farm, looking after children.
(07:05):
Right.
Like that third shift, youknow, for women on the farm, for
kids on the farm.
Right.
You know, the expectation of,you know, school and extracurricular
and then being on the farm aswell, you know, and, and of course,
you know, primary farmers as well.
So that was a really great,huge learning experience for me.
And, you know, life justhappened and I ended up moving out
to the east coast with myhusband and spending some time out
(07:27):
there.
And then we moved back to theprairies to Winnipeg and the Canadian
Agricultural Safetyassociation hiring for a communications
coordinator for maternity leave.
And I thought, it's a sign.
And I applied and got the joband I've been with them ever since.
So that was 11 years ago nowand my job has changed.
I'm now the director ofprograms and communications at the
Canadian Agricultural Safety Association.
(07:49):
So a lot more responsibility.
But my passion has continuedto grow and I learn something new
every day.
But I'm able to really takethat heritage of mine, that century
farm family, that idea of thatand moving that into a place, place
where, you know, I feel likeI'm, you know, bringing my best foot
forward in for those folksthat do grow our food, that do work
(08:13):
such long hours, who do havesuch care and passion for, you know,
the land and for their animals.
So I'm.
I'm really privileged that Iget to serve, you know, the agricultural
industry in the way that I do.
Robin, you have such a passionfor farm safety and I love that,
you know, meeting you inperson, I could just tell the passion
(08:35):
that you had.
But hearing that you are theeldest daughter from a grain farm,
like, it is all making senseto me and it's coming full circle
for me.
Talk to me about the youthprogram that you were a part of.
What kind of initiatives andconversations were you able to have
at that young age that helpedimpact farm safety for other fellow
(08:59):
kids on farms?
There was such a greatprogram, you Know, the coordinator,
her name is Judy George, andJudy is still a dear friend, a mentor.
You know, she read a readingat her.
At my wedding, you know, sothere was.
There was this beautiful womanwho just was so passionate about
this idea of kids, like, andwe were literal kids, right?
Like teenagers, you know,getting trained up, getting understanding
(09:22):
how to talk to children aboutfarm safety.
So she managed to build thisprogram from scratch.
You know, she gave ustraining, she gave us the information
we needed.
And it was like.
It was pretty old school, right?
Gotta remember this is likethe 90s, late 90s, overhead projectors,
right?
Like those.
Remember those films that youput on the overhead projectors?
We had pictures and, you know,we had gave up tattoos.
(09:46):
And it was just, you know,such an interesting way to really
kind of get exposed toagriculture in Saskatchewan, you
know, And I think, like, atone time I had figured out I had
spoken to something like50,000 kids, you know, because I
was so passionate about it.
I just.
That's all I really wanted to do.
And I.
I continued to do it throughuniversity, even into working for
(10:07):
the health region.
I did a little bit of speakingfor the Power Pack program.
And, you know, it was so coolto see all of these kids from all
over the province come tothese trainings.
So we had kids from, you know,by Prince Albert south, like by Oxbow
and Estevan, Maple Creek toMelville and Yorkton, and all over
(10:28):
the province all came together.
And, you know, we're trained,got to meet, we know each other,
got to build that, you know, that.
Those friendships.
And I'm still friends withfolks that were in the program to
this day.
And this has been like 30years almost, you know, to just really
understand, you know, how weas children could impact other kids,
right?
And having those conversationsand, you know, and it really developed
(10:51):
a lot of skills in myself, too.
Public speaking, you know,time management.
I can read a map very well.
Not that you need it anymore,but man, you know, you find in Munster,
Saskatchewan, on a map, ongrid roads, you know, those sorts
of skills, like, you reallydevelop them.
You're traveling all over thecountry side with, you know, look
(11:11):
to go talk to the kids atschool about farm safety.
So, you know, it was such areally good program and so valuable.
And I owe a lot to, you know,Judy George and the Saskatchewan
Safety Council, that's for sure.
And I just think, like, what abrilliant idea to have kids speak
to other kids, right?
Like, it's one thing for, youknow, your parent or an adult on
(11:34):
a farm to tell you don't do that.
That's dangerous.
But in the eyes of a kid,sometimes we think, well, our parents
think everything is dangerous, right?
Like we should be bubble wrapped.
But when it's a kid talking toanother kid, I think there's a way
that we can communicate inwhich they can understand that, hey,
(11:55):
maybe jumping in that grainbin isn't such a great idea, right?
Like just.
And you don't, as you getolder, hopefully your mind adapts
to think of things differently.
But when you are a kid andthinking like a kid, we might not
do things that would be,quote, smart to do.
No, absolutely.
And you know, and sometimes,you know, even as parents grow, you
(12:18):
know, raising kids on thefarm, we, we, you know, you know,
sometimes we're overestimatedin our ability for farm kids, right?
You know, oh, you know, likemy brother for example, he was probably
born 30 years old, but he wasstill a kid.
He was still very much a child.
But my parents really hadfaith in him.
They, they really thought thathe, you know, at very tender ages,
(12:38):
just had a lot of ability andhe did to some extent, but he was
still very much a child.
And you know, the risks thatwere taken, you know, are not appropriate.
They weren't appropriate then,they're not appropriate now.
You know, those injuries, youknow, those close calls, those sorts
of things that we think, oh,you know, it's just part of growing
up with the farm.
It really isn't right puttingthose, the lives of children at risk.
(12:59):
It's really heartbreaking,right, to see the stats, you know,
seeing under fours being ran over.
Under four year olds have thehighest rate of deaths in on Canadian
farms other than anybody overthe age of 60.
So, you know, being able totalk to kids as a kid and being like,
you know, you know, sometimes,you know, we might think that it's
(13:21):
okay and maybe our mom andsome dads, just maybe they don't
see that it's not safe andit's okay to say something, you know,
even being able to encouragekids to talk, to speak up and say,
hey, you know, I know we livewell, we've lived with this for a
long time and we did on our farm.
And it's okay to talk aboutit, right, and say, hey, mom and
dad, you know, I've noticedthat maybe, you know, this doesn't
really smell seem that safe,you know, so empowering kids, right,
(13:43):
to be able to speak up.
Because I think, you know,parents are doing the best they can.
They're doing what they canwith what they've Got and you know,
we always appreciate that.
Right, that's, that's true.
Like I see my, my brothers areboth raising kids on the farm and
they're doing their darn best.
And those kids are happy,healthy and safe, you know, most
of the time.
Occasionally, you know, there,there are things that can be improved.
(14:06):
Absolutely.
That's just like ineverybody's life.
But I, you know, I appreciatethat and I think that it's just really
great to be, empower folks,you know, children, including children
to be able to talk about thatstuff that's happening on their farms.
Yeah, absolutely, absolutely.
I want to get into your rolewith the Canadian Agricultural Safety
Association.
(14:27):
What is the mission for yourorganization and what are you hoping
to achieve with farmers in Canada?
So CAST is a mission and I'mgoing to read it to you because I
can't remember it off the topof my head ever.
It's to engage with communitypartners to promote safety and health
and agriculture, but byproviding leadership, support and
(14:49):
resources.
And what that really means isthat we work with partners in order
to reduce and eliminate farminjuries across Canada.
That's really what that boilsdown to.
Right.
So you know, we're reallysmall, not for profit.
You have one quarter of your,of our staff with you here today.
There's four staff.
We are really smallorganization, we're itty bitty, you
(15:12):
know, so we are very small andwe really depend on those boots on
the ground organizations, ourprovincial partners, you know, those
people that are doing thatwork on the ground, you know, to
bring that health and safety,you know, to folks.
So we work with those, thosefolks, you know, through campaigns
and programs to bring theinformation and resources that we
need to improve health andsafety on Canadian farms.
(15:33):
The reality is we're seeingabout 60 people killed in agriculture
related incidents, incidents ayear in Canada.
And you know, I always joke, Iwould love not to have a job.
I could do something else.
I like, I could, there's no problem.
I could do something else.
If, if we had no injuries anddeaths on farms, I would be happy
to do something else, youknow, so it's all about making sure
(15:54):
that those farms and farmfamilies are thriving, successful
and sustainable.
You know, I just mentioned myfamily farm has been in our family
for over 100 years, since 1905.
You know, but the reality isif we are not, you know, addressing
the issues, you know, at thatfarm gate level, health and safety,
(16:14):
mental health, we aren't goingto see those farms continue to thrive
and succeed.
So for me it's all aboutkeeping farm families healthy and
safe for the next generation?
Absolutely.
And when I think of the numberlike that you had mentioned, the
average number of deaths thathappen on farms, in the totality
(16:35):
of it, it doesn't seem like a lot.
But when we think of 60, Ithink of 60 businesses and farms
being affected by that number.
And if those 60 people wereowner operators of these farms, does
that mean 60 of our farms inour country are going under.
Right.
Are not able to produce thefood or the resources or any of those
(16:59):
things that we need in thisworld to keep going?
Right.
And.
And like you said, wouldn'tyou just love to have a different
job?
Maybe like you could doanything else, but the fact that,
you know, farm safety affectsall of us every single day.
We all make choices on ouroperations every single day that
(17:21):
will affect our health andsafety, whether it's physical or
whether it's mental.
You talked a lot about thedifferent partnerships that you have,
which obviously are superimportant to a small organization
like yours.
What are some of the programsthat you and your partners have been
able to implement and whathave been some of the greatest impacts
(17:44):
that you've seen come fromthese partnerships?
Yeah, that's a great question.
We have some flagship programsthat we're so proud of that, you
know, it's.
We've worked really hard toget them off the ground.
You know, one that I work onevery year, Canadian Agricultural
Safety Week, and that's heldon the third week of March of every
year.
And that is really just acelebration of farm safety.
We try not to talk too muchabout the negative and the sad.
(18:05):
Everybody wants to rubberneck.
I'm included in that.
You know, I want to know allthe details.
I love the rubber neck, but,you know, when we promote happy,
healthy success, we can strivetowards happy, healthy success.
So Canadian culture C2, isalways, always about, you know, how
can we celebrate what we'redoing right, and how can we do that,
(18:25):
those things even more right,and how do we lift up those parts
of, you know, that we're notdoing so great in?
So that's.
That's one program we work on.
Something that's upcomingright away is our.
Is our new.
This will be our second yeardoing it is Kids Farm Safe Week.
And that was really inresponse to that Canadian culture
injury reporting data that wegot in 2020.
Well, including 2020, thattalks about kids under four and their.
(18:49):
Their rates of death.
That was really quite jarring, unfortunately.
Not surprising, but veryjarring to see that, you know, we're
seeing so many young childrenbeing ran over on the farm.
And that's generally howthey're being killed, is being ran
over.
And so in response to that, wethought, you know what, let's just
start celebrating kids on the farm.
And how do we get kids moreinvolved in talking about farm safety?
(19:12):
How do we get parents to talkabout farm safety?
How do we get schools to talkabout farm safety more across this
country?
And so Kids Farm Safety Weekwas born out of that.
So, you know, working towards,you know, having resources and information
and those sorts of things available.
And something else that we'vestarted in about 2017 was our Be
Grain Safe program.
And Be Grain Safe, you know,was born out of the need of seeing
(19:35):
increased grain entrapmentsacross Canada.
Larger yields, betterequipment, faster moving augers,
things like that.
You know, gone are the days ofthe six inch auger, right like that.
Those are really, you know,we're not seeing a lot of that, but
we're seeing a lot more, youknow, bushels being moved per second,
you know, through these,through equipment and things like
(19:56):
that.
So we were seeing increasedentrapments and engulfments due to
grain.
So Be Grain Safe as a twopronged approach.
One is the prevention side ofthings and then one is the training
side of things.
You know, of course, the bestway to keep someone from dying in
grain is keeping them out of grain.
So that's where the preventionside comes in.
(20:16):
So we have Rubbery Grain Safeweek in August.
We have lots of resources andinformation about, you know, those
sorts of things, keeping grainin good condition, you know, making
sure the bins are ready for toaccept grain as harvest happens,
those sorts of things.
And then we also have our BeGrain Safe trailer and it travels
the country.
So it goes from east to westone year and west, west to east the
(20:37):
other year.
And it trains the firedepartments, rural fire departments,
on how to extract someonesafely from grain.
And that's been a real great program.
We've seen actually threerescues, successful rescues of folks
that have taken part of inthat grain rescue training.
And that's just what we know of.
There could be more.
We don't know, but I mean, thefact that three people's lives have
(21:00):
been saved because of theknowledge that we've been able to,
you know, give to these folkson the ground has been incredible.
So those are some of our majorprograms that we do.
And we also have otherprograms like our Back to Egg program,
which is funded by Farm CreditCanada, and it helps dramatically
injured farmers get back tofarming safely.
So we're able to provide agrant up to $20,000 for technology.
(21:23):
So we've done things like sitto stand wheelchairs, cattle handling
systems, those sorts of things.
So that's also a really greatprogram that we're really proud of.
And we also have things likeour Canadian culture injury reporting,
which is the best data onagricultural injection fatalities
in the world.
And it is done because we havean incredibly dedicated cohort that
goes to coroner's offices anddoes extraction of death data.
(21:47):
So we know where to focus alot of energy.
So that's how we know howunder fours are getting killed in
agriculture, that sort of thing.
So it's a very good, it's verygood data.
The worst part is about thedata is we don't actually know about
things like life alteringinjuries or lost time injuries or
close calls that we can't track.
(22:08):
So we don't know what thoselook like just because of the nature
of being able to track that data.
But that is also an incrediblyimportant program.
And care data gets used acrossthe world.
It's world class and we'rereally, really proud of that as well.
Robyn, your organization doesso many things to keep us safe and
I just, I want to take aminute to say thank you for that.
(22:30):
As a farmer myself, and as anew farmer, I, you know, I didn't
recognize and realize how manydangers there is in my absolute everyday
life here on the farm and thework that we're doing.
What do you think this iscoming from, I guess your time on
a grain farm as well as yourtime in your role?
(22:52):
What are some of the biggestchallenges that is facing farm safety
from the farmer's perspectiveand from your perspective, from the
data that you've seen?
I think it's time pressure.
There's only so many hours ina day.
There's only, only so manysunny days.
There's only so many days thatare frost free.
(23:13):
There's all, there's only somany, so much energy, right?
So when you're out and about,and I think you can speak to this
better than I can, Caitlin,but when you're, when you're out,
out there and you're like, Igotta get this crop off, I haven't
slept in 18 hours.
I don't know.
Last time I ate, man, I'vebeen drinking mountain dew for 15,
15 hours straight just to stayawake, you know.
(23:36):
So I think about that, I thinkabout that pressure, you know, like
that is a lot of pressure tohave when you are running Your own
business and you, you know,and it's just not just even farm
work.
And then it's like, I got todo these taxes.
I got to figure out what ourinputs are.
My gosh.
I got to talk to the bank again.
Oh, man.
What does this look like forthe markets?
(23:59):
That pressure is incredible.
It is incredible for ourfarmers and our farm families.
That is a lot of pressure.
And so sometimes we become complacent.
You know, we take shortcuts.
We go, oh, man, you know, Iknow that that PTO needs a guard
on it.
I do not have the time for itright now.
I'm just gonna work around it.
(24:19):
It'll be fine.
Oh, man.
I know I should lower that auger.
We're going over.
We're going underneath thatpower line.
But, you know, it's been fine before.
I got to get this done.
We gotta go, go, go, you know.
Oh, you know, I really shoulddrink some water.
I really should have a good sleep.
You know what?
I just.
We don't have time for thatright now.
(24:40):
So I think time pressure,emotional pressure, you know, stress
has a lot to do with sometimes things.
Shortcuts we might take,choices we might make that we might
not normally make.
I think that that happens alot depending on kids because there's
just so much work and only somany hands.
Even things like, oh, man,someone's gotta go check those cat,
(25:03):
those cows, you know, we'vegot calves coming, I got no daycare.
I gotta take the kids with me.
Right?
Like, there's just a lot of,like, hurdles, pressure, time restraints,
stress that can really lead tofolks, you know, making choices they
might not normally take,taking shortcuts, you know, the fatigue
(25:24):
factor, just the sheerexhaustion factor, you know, driving
a piece of equipment down theroad, forgetting to put the lights
on, you know, forgetting tosignal, forgetting to shoulder check,
forgetting being like, I don'thave somebody's.
No, there's nobody here to bea flag vehicle.
I got to get this moved.
Oh, it'll fit between allthose railroad tracks.
(25:44):
It's fine.
I'm not going to get stuck.
Right?
So there's a lot of hazardsout there that if we don't mitigate
those hazards right from theget go, you know, they become real
problems.
Right.
Or taking risks that we mightnot normally take.
So from my perspective, it isa lot of different things that lead
to, you know, incidents andinjuries, unfortunately, death.
(26:05):
Absolutely.
Well, and you said it well,these things have worked good enough
before, so why don't they justkeep working good enough to continue.
Right.
I think we all have work to doon our respective operations and
it does take time to implementsome of these things.
But like you said, you know,these things are important because
(26:25):
what could take 15 minutes tofix now could save essentially a
life later.
Right.
And, and having thoseconversations, I think with farm
families and workers on the farm.
Right.
Like people that are notdirectly involved with your every
day to day business, they comeand do their job and they go home
at the end of the night.
Like, let's make sure thateverybody gets to do that regardless
(26:48):
of what their position is onthe farm.
Yeah.
You know, your, your listenerscan't see me.
Non.
Vigorously.
Yes, I'm agreeing.
Yeah.
And it's also really goodbusiness sense when you think about
it.
Right.
Because you know, lost time,you lose time, you can't gain that
time back.
And that's what'll happen ifyou even, even a lost time injury.
Right.
You know, I have to go get stitches.
(27:09):
Well, you know, it's not lifealtering, but it does take half a
day, you know, gotta driveinto town, the locum's gotta come
in, gotta get the stitches.
You know what I mean?
So that does take time.
Right.
And then of course you've gotstitches you got to keep clean and
deal with.
Right.
So even, even that kind ofstuff, you know, if we can prevent
those injuries from happeningin the first place, it's really good
(27:29):
business sense.
And you did mention thisearlier and there was a paper done.
It's, it's a bit dated now,but it talked about, you know, the
death of a primary producer.
And the death of a primaryproducer often means the end of the
farm.
So even thinking about it inthat aspect, you know, losing the
whole farm, you know, becauseof a preventable, you know, death,
you know, that's, that'sextremely tragic in my opinion.
(27:52):
You know, it is, it is.
It's just tragic that, youknow, we're losing family farms because
of things that are very preventable.
So, you know, hazardmitigation, you know, when you're
not really busy, which is notnow getting into seeding, seating.
It's not now, it's before this.
Right.
Where we can take some timeand go, oh yeah, you know what?
(28:15):
Equipment maintenance, let'smake sure the slow moving vehicle
sign looks good.
It's, it's fixed.
I'll do our lights work.
How are our shields?
You know, how are these thingsworking out?
You know, I've been meaning tofill that hole because someone's
going to trip in it.
I got to Clean up the shopbecause you've got all these tripping
hazards and flammable hazardsthat we've got to look after.
(28:35):
So taking that time before youget really busy to just mitigate
as many risks as you can.
Right.
There's a hierarchy of hazard control.
So eliminating risk risks islike the first thing you can do to
prevent injuries.
Right.
So just get rid of them.
Like, let's eliminate risks oreliminate hazards.
I'm sorry.
So looking at those sorts ofthings being like, what can we do
to make lives easier and safer?
(28:57):
Right.
Before you get too busy.
Yeah, absolutely.
Absolutely.
So we mentioned a bit, youknow, we're talking a lot about our
physical health, but why ismental health important?
Farm safety for the farm.
And how is CASA and theirpartners working to improve the health
(29:20):
and safety in the mentalhealth sense?
This is a really goodquestion, and it's something that
Cass has worked on for a longtime back.
Cass started in 1993.
So when I was still.
You and I were both still veryyoung pups, I think, at that point.
And there was a really greatconversation out of University of
Saskatchewan, Dr.
Jim Dawson, who's thegrandfather of agricultural health
(29:41):
and medicine, and he talksabout sleeplessness in Saskatchewan,
talks about sleep and whatkind of impact sleep has on our health,
our mental health and ourphysical health.
And so this has been a bit ofa conversation, you know, maybe not
in the way we talk about itnow, but for a really long time.
So we think about things likeeven just sleep, something like sleep,
(30:01):
which is a very physical thingto do, but it also impacts our mental
health, like to an extreme event.
I don't know, be you.
But when I don't get enoughsleep, I am very cranky.
I'm very hungry.
I make really bad choices.
I have a bad temper.
You know, there are a lot ofthings that I do when I do not sleep
well.
Right.
(30:21):
That I wouldn't normally dowhen I'm well rested.
So we talk about things likesleep and how that impacts not only
our mental health, but ourphysical health.
And that's really intertwined.
Also things like nutrition.
We also talk about that eating well.
Right.
That impacts both our mentalhealth and our physical health.
So we talk about that a lot.
And then we talk about thingslike stress.
Right.
And what we can control, whatwe can't control.
(30:43):
You know, so it's reallyimportant to kind of differentiate
those two things.
I can't do anything about the markets.
Absolutely nothing.
There's nothing I can do.
But I can, you know, manage mytime in A way that works best for
me that I can do, you know, sothose sorts of things.
You know, casa's really,really lucky to work with such great
(31:04):
partners like the Canadianculture, the Canadian center for
agricultural well being, CCAWdo more.
AgSafe.
BC is doing a lot of reallygreat stuff in the mental health
area.
And we actually have on ourwebsite our hub, our mental health
hub, where we try to collate,you know, because sometimes people
just don't know where to go.
Where do I go for this information?
(31:24):
I don't know where to go tohave this conversation about, you
know, manage, you know,interpersonal relationships on the
farm.
That's causing me a lot of stress.
Where can I go to find outthis information?
I need something in French.
Where do I go for something in French?
And we try to put everythingin that hub so people can go on our
website and go, oh, okay, thisis what I need.
(31:45):
This is the area where I'mlooking for and that sort of thing,
you know, and also just beinghonest, honest about it, talking
about mental health.
Everybody has mental health, right?
We all do.
And just like our physicalhealth, sometimes our mental health
is great, sometimes it's maybenot so great.
And that's okay, right?
It's.
That's okay.
It is totally okay.
So being able to just be like,yeah, you know what?
(32:05):
That's totally fine, you know, understood.
We got you, you know, andhaving that hub and being able to
point folks in the rightdirection about where they might
need help, that's reallyimportant to us.
And, you know, and just.
And like I said, just beingable to talk about it, right?
And being like, hey, it'sokay, everybody has struggles, everybody
goes through highs and lows,and that's totally fine.
(32:27):
Everybody doesn't always getenough sleep all the time.
And perhaps has some of thethings that you mentioned, like,
it's a little, little crankythe next day, this host included.
So it's like you said,everybody has mental health and let's
work all together to make itmental wellness and how can we be
well and what are the toolsthat we need?
(32:48):
So we're going to linkeverything about the hub and everything
in the show notes so peoplecan find that and use that as a resource.
(33:44):
I want to talk about theunique safety challenges that women
face in a farm setting andwhat CASA has done or what some tips
and tricks we have for to keepall of the women's safe on the farm.
You.
That's a great question.
We actually worked with FarmManagement Canada to do a study because
(34:06):
we're like, okay, we'd like tohear, you know, from women about,
you know, what, what are, whatare the, some of the challenges that
they're facing.
And you know, it was prettyinteresting to kind of hear what
they had to say.
And you know, a lot of it wasthings that, you know, we kind of
had heard of or, you know,very much so.
It was things like, I don'tneed a pink set of coveralls, I actually
(34:27):
just need a set of coverallsthat fit.
I don't need pink gloves, Ijust need gloves that fit.
So ppe, right?
A PPE that fits, that'sappropriate, that makes sense for
women on the farm.
That was definitely came up.
Some other things that wereinteresting that came up were things
like women carrying the burdenof safety, right?
They're the ones that arealways like, hey, hey, hey, hey,
(34:49):
hey, hey.
You know, that doesn't seemlike that's going to be okay.
So having to carry that burdenof safety on the farm and being the,
one of the voice of reason, soto speak, about safety on the farm
and then things like, youknow, child care, making sure children
are safe on the farm, youknow, very stressful, you know, for
(35:09):
women, you know, when they'rethinking about their own safety,
you know, and when I wasactually, when I talk advancing women
where I met you, I had areally great conversation with a
lady and she, she was, she wastalking and she was facing silage
and her older kids and herthree year old were at home and they
live on the same yard as the grandparents.
(35:30):
And you know, she was like,okay, you know, your three year old
brother is still sleeping.
Can you just make sure youkeep an eye on him?
You know, I'm gonna, I gottago do this farm work, you know, I,
you know, I can't, you know,be in two places at one time, right?
So she's out there doingsomething that is potentially quite
hazardous and, and all of asudden she gets a phone call on her
cell phone and her teenage,you know, teenager can't find the
(35:53):
three year old, you know, sothere she is trying to do something
dangerous and now she'sworried about where her three year
old is.
So she's put herself at riskbecause now she's stressing about
where her kid is.
And of course the kid couldvery well be at risk because she
doesn't know where he is.
So that combination, right, ofthat stress and that worry and then
(36:14):
also the real risk of herbeing putting herself in danger and,
or that child being in dangerluckily he'd wandered over to grandma's,
grandma had him, everythingwas fine.
But that concern, that worry,that pressure, that responsibility
for women on the farm is immense.
That's a lot of burden to carry.
You know, and also talkingabout, and I mentioned this before
(36:34):
the third shift, right?
There's a lot of women,yourself included, you have multiple
jobs, right?
You have multiple jobs, youknow, so they're working a full time
job off the farm.
Lots of times they need to,you know, supplement the income,
they need health care, youknow, they need all that, they need
that stuff for, to keep thefarm viable.
(36:54):
So they're doing all of thatwork, but then they're also coming
home farming full time, right?
So they're doing those twojobs and then you throw children
on top of that.
And then the primary parent,they've got like, they're on ball
practice and hockey practiceand they're going to parent teacher
interviews or volunteering atthe school.
You know, the 4H leaders, theyare working a lot like, and that
(37:17):
is a lot of hats, a lot ofstress and a lot for one person to
carry.
So women on the farm, youknow, and I have nothing but respect
when people say I'm a farm wife.
You are, that's fine.
But you're also many, many,many other things, things, you know,
you are all sorts of things.
You are doing so much for somany people and sometimes you get
(37:38):
forgotten, right?
That you as a person get forgot.
You, your health, your wellbeing, your mental health sometimes
goes to the back burner andthat is not okay, nor is it safe
for women on the farm.
Robin, I think we just have totake a minute, like to all like,
myself included, be mistyabout that.
Because sometimes like, likehearing that from somebody and that
(38:00):
acknowledgement that that isliterally how many hats you are wearing
in a 24 hour basis on anygiven day is a lot.
And to hear that and to haveit recognized causes me great overwhelm.
And I know it is causing otherpeople overwhelm as well.
So we're just gonna take aminute to acknowledge that.
(38:23):
But it's, it is so true.
And the parts that you'resaying about we don't need pink coveralls,
we just need things that fit.
We just need things that weare able to physically move or have
the ability to physically dothis, right?
I always found it, you know,such like a double edged sword as
(38:44):
a woman who would identify asstubbornly independent to have to
ask for help for somethingthat's either physical or, you know,
emotional or any of Thosethings, it takes a lot.
But to have people surroundingyou and to have partnerships and
to have businesses that you'reable to help one another with these
(39:07):
things, I think is super important.
And I think at the end of theday, it has to come back to the conversations.
Unfortunately, like you said,a lot of it falls on the women to
have these conversations abouthealth and safety.
You're basically the hat thatyou're wearing is the health and
safety coordinator, but thatalso includes you in that conversation.
(39:28):
To have that conversation say,I can't do all of this.
I can't have a three year oldat home being watched by so and so
because I need to go do this.
What are ways that we can workaround this?
Right?
And to be able to have thelanguage and the conversations, to
have this and to know it'sokay to say this isn't working for
me.
Like, we need to figure out inour family, in our business, what
(39:52):
are the tools that we can useto get through this season, right?
To keep everyone safe.
Yeah.
No, I mean, and, you know, Ithink it might be a farmer thing.
I'm not totally sure, but likethis idea that we're silos, right?
That we're just so strong andindependent, we can just do everything
by ourselves.
I am really guilty of this.
(40:13):
You know, my husband is like,hey, what are you doing?
And I'm like, well, it's fine.
I've got this ladder and I gotthe bucket.
I can do this, it's fine.
And he's like, what?
You know, And I go, oh, right,right, right, right.
You're right, you're right.
I need to stop and take aminute and go, oh, yeah, you know
what?
I need some help.
And it's okay becauseeverybody needs help, you know, and
(40:33):
being able to offer that helpfreely as well and be like, hey,
that's okay.
You know, I think that that'sreally, really important.
You know, you, like you said, it's.
It's so interesting to see,you know, folks that are, you know,
women especially, right.
That just take on thoseburdens and, and kind of sometimes
forget about that.
(40:53):
They're included in that too.
Right.
That, that they're, they're important.
Self care.
And, you know, self care isn'tjust taking a bubble bath.
It's also being like, I go tothe doctor.
Oh, gosh, you know, I need tomake sure my boots fit.
Those sorts of things.
Right?
Like, you know, that kind ofself care.
Yeah, absolutely.
Absolutely.
I have to find a hat to coverthis long hair that I swear Every
(41:15):
man in agriculture, if youhave long hair and walk near an implement,
it is their duty and right totell you about how dangerous your
long hair is, which is true.
But that is a joke amongst thewomen on the farm.
It's like, yes, I know.
That's why it's tied back in ahat, like, away from where it can
(41:36):
get get stanked.
I mean, I appreciate thatthey're understanding entanglement
hazards now.
Don't get me wrong.
Yeah, I knew you would be.
I knew you would be.
But then let's have aconversation about your ratty coveralls
there, Bob.
Yeah, exactly, exactly.
Your shoes are untied currently.
(41:57):
Yeah, exactly.
Let us.
That is also a tripping hazard.
Let's have a conversation.
Yeah, let me help you withthat, Bob.
Robin, you mentioned before,you know, we talk a lot about the.
The horror stories and the sadstories that happen with farm safety.
You did mention one before.
But what are some standoutmoments or success stories that have
(42:21):
really reaffirmed yourcommitment to improving farm safety
for Canadians?
You know, I think, you know,those things have always been a bit
of a reinvigorating moment,you know, being like, I really wish
that we didn't hear about anyof these things.
I really do.
I really wish it was like,there's no.
Nobody's ever been entrappedin grade and, you know, and I'd be
like, yeah, that's great.
(42:41):
Really happy.
But hearing about those days,really understanding that that training,
that knowledge really made adifference is always just very, you
know, much, you know, a verymuch a, you know, a moment for me
going, okay, this is worth it, right?
Like, this is worth it.
This is worth, you know, youknow, the amount of work we do, you
know, with the small staffthat we have, with the budgets we
(43:03):
have, trying to get thisinformation out.
There we go.
Okay, that's worth it, right?
That sort of thing.
And I think just.
Even just seeing things like,you know, safety days for kids.
We partner with Progressive, afoundation, to have safety days for
kids across Canada.
And it's always really greatwhenever I can get out there and
see a safety day happening,I'm seeing all these really cute
little kids wearing their farmsafety day T shirts.
(43:25):
And they're asking.
Asking questions about thetractor, or they're asking questions
about the ATV or they'reasking questions about the railroad.
And they're really engaged andexcited to learn about, you know,
the things in their communityand their farms, you know, that,
you know, could be potentialhazards for them.
And I think that that's alwaysreally exciting, you know, to see
kids engaged like that andpeople engaged and, you know, even
(43:48):
just having conversations.
Like having conversation withyou, Caitlin, honestly, like having
these conversations andsitting with that lady, you know,
and talking about thatincident that happened to her and
being able to be thatlistening ear occasionally when people
want to talk about stuff like this.
Because, you know, I get it.
I totally understand wherepeople are coming from.
Like, we listen, we don'tjudge, Right.
(44:09):
Like, it's a great meme.
Like, it is, you know, becausepeople are doing the best with what
they've got, and I just wantpeople to have more so they can do
better, so that their farmscan be better, they can be better,
they can be safer for theirentire lives, and then they die,
99 years of age in their bed,surrounded by their loved ones, having
lived the most beautiful andwonderful life.
(44:31):
Absolutely.
I.
I love that.
And it is the perfect meme foryour organization.
We listen and we don't judgebecause truly, I think when we know
better, we do better, right?
And hopefully we know betterby not experiencing some of these
accidents or safety hazards oranything like that.
We just learn from otherpeople sharing their stories, or
(44:51):
we learn from, you know, minorincidents that have happened and,
like, what can we do betternext time?
Because literally accidents dohappen, right?
And there are things that arepreventable, and then there's other
things that just happen.
Right?
And we all get through it andwe learn from it.
Right.
And being able to share thesestories and to share your expertise,
(45:13):
I think is so importantbecause farm safety does affect us
all.
And it's something that,unfortunately, I don't think we think
enough about, but it issomething that's a super important
conversation to have.
Yeah, I appreciate that.
And I think, like most.
I honestly think mostincidences are completely preventable,
you know, and I think it's.
It's things like just lookingat things with new eyes even.
(45:36):
I think that really is helpful.
It's helpful to me.
Anyways, there are really lot.
We have one the Canada Farmsafe plan.
But there are fantastic resortresources out there for folks that
want to do, like, a hazardassessment on their farm.
And they go, that maybe can belike doing a walkabout and being
like, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, okay.
(45:57):
Yeah, I didn't realize that was.
That was actually a problem.
But now, oh, that's an easy fix.
Oh, that's not so probable.
That's not so bad.
We can actually, you know,make that.
Make that change, you know, SoI think.
I think there is a way toprevent so.
So many incidences and intricate.
I think there is.
It's just a matter of beinglike, what's important?
What does our time look like?
(46:17):
You know, where do we put thisin the scheme of things?
Those sorts of things.
Right.
So, you know, it's.
It's not easy.
It is an investment.
I'm not, you know, and no judgment.
Right.
Like, we do that.
Like I said, we do the bestwith what we got.
And sometimes we just havethis much energy, sometimes we have
way more energy, sometimes wejust have this much time, sometimes
(46:38):
we have lots more time.
But we do the best we can withwhat we've got at the time.
Absolutely, absolutely.
What are some future plans ordevelopments that you can share with
us in regards to CASA and farmsafety in Canada?
Well, we are, like I said,we're going to be launching Kids
Farm SafeWeek.
It's the third week in May, soI would really encourage everybody
(46:59):
to check out the website.
We're really lucky to have agreat partner with basf and they
have their Safety Scoutsprogram, which is a fantastic program.
It's a great way to getfamilies talking about safety.
You can order a kit from them,you get a little vest for your kids,
they get a little program,they can talk about Safety Scouts.
And it's a really fun way toget families talking about farm safety.
(47:21):
So that's part of the FarmSafe Kids week that's coming out.
CASA always has downloadableresources for children as well on
our Kids Farm Safe page page.
We're also working towards anonline conference or a conference.
We're not totally sure exactlywhat that's going to look like coming
out in the fall.
So if anybody wants to learnmore about our conference, you know,
check or keep an eye on our website.
(47:42):
We also host forums on the regular.
So we're actually having areally interesting one coming up
on May 14th with Alma Jordanfrom Agrikids out of Ireland.
And she's going to be talkingabout, you know, the challenges that
they face with Pharmacy forkids as well.
Yeah.
So that's kind of what we'redoing in the next, you know, six
to eight months and, you know,working on our next funding ask as
(48:06):
well.
So that's.
That's in the works.
So, you know, trying tounderstand, you know, where we need
to be focusing our attention.
But of course, things likeCanadian Cultural Safety Week and
care, you know, Kids SafetyWeek, BE Grant Safe are all really
flagship programs that we arecontinuing to work on as we go forward.
Absolutely.
So many good things that youand your small but mighty team are
(48:27):
doing with all of your partners.
And as a Canadian farmer, Ijust want to say thank you for the
work that you do and keepingus safe and keeping us aware.
My last question for you,Robin, that I always ask folks, is
what is the most rewardingpart about keeping farmers safe for
you?
I think that's just it.
(48:47):
Keeping farms safe, right?
You know, I love going to afarm show and seeing a farm, family.
Family just walking around, right?
I go, man, you know, that isso wonderful.
I love that.
Like, something about thatjust makes me so happy, you know,
I love that so much.
I love going out to mybrothers, you know, their farms,
and I love seeing them, theirkids just growing up on that farm.
(49:11):
I love that so much.
You know, I just think about,you know, the work that we do, why
we do it.
And we do it for those folks, right?
We do it for those folks thatare, you know, working so hard every
day, you know, and knows the grindstone.
Not a lot of thanks, you know,a lot of times, you know, a lot of
(49:32):
stress and a lot of.
A lot of just really toughstuff that people, they have to work
through.
And I think, man, that's whowe do it for.
We do it for those people.
And so that, for me, is sorewarding, and I'm so excited.
It's.
It's seeding seasons coming uphere right away and seeing those.
Those.
Those machines work in thosefields and seeing those people driving
(49:52):
down the road giving a wave,you know, that's who we do this for
every day.
So good.
So good.
Robin, for the folks who wouldlike to connect with you and Casa
after the show, where can theyfind you online?
They can check us out on ourwebsite at Casa Acsa.
And we're also on the metaplatform, so Facebook and Instagram
(50:15):
planfarmsafety.
They can also find us on LinkedIn.
So we'd love a follow amessage, and you can check.
You can email me from ourwebsite as well.
So, you know, happy to hearfrom anybody if we can help in any
way.
We'd love to.
We'd love to do so.
Perfect.
And I will link all of those,including the hub, with all of the
resources in the show notes sopeople can find you and connect with
(50:36):
you.
You.
Perfect.
That sounds great.
Thank you again so much forsharing your story with us today
and keeping us safe.
Robyn, thank you so much.
Thank you, Caitlin.
I appreciate everything thatyou're doing and getting these messages
out there.
So thank you.
Thanks for listening to theRural Woman podcast.
(50:57):
The Rural Woman Podcast ismore than just a podcast.
We are a community community.
A huge thank you to the RuralWoman Podcast team.
Audio Editor Max Hofer Aspecial thanks to our Patreon Executive
Producers Sarah Riedner FromHappiness by the Acre to learn how
you can become a PatreonExecutive Producer or other ways
(51:20):
to financially support theshow, head on over to wildrosefarmer.com
to learn more.
Be sure to hit the Follow orSubscribe button wherever you listen
to the podcast to get thelatest episodes directly on your
playlist.
And if you are loving theshow, please be sure to leave a rating
and review on Apple Podcast orany other platform that accepts ratings
(51:43):
and reviews.
You can connect with us onsocial media, the worldwoman Podcast
and with me, ildrosefarmer.
One of the best ways you cancan support the show is by sharing
it.
Send this episode to a friendor share on your social media.
Let's strengthen and amplifythe voices of women in agriculture
(52:04):
together.
Until next time my friend.
Keep sharing your story.
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