On July 15th, the National Centre for Farmer Health’s Dr Alison Kennedy was invited to give evidence before the Victorian Royal Commission into Mental Health Systems in Maryborough. This was the only day dedicated to hearing from witnesses in rural Victoria. Dr Kennedy was one of only eight witnesses called and gave evidence about the work of the Centre and the current evidence on farmer mental health and suicide prevention.
Farmer Health Week is a flexible program of multi-day events combining our successful programs of Gear-up for Ag™, Health & Lifestyle Assessments (HLAs) and information sessions on health, wellbeing and safety.
Partnering with Rural Bank and in collaboration with Regional Community Bank® clusters, the NCFH team will be at the Dowerin Field Days 28-29 August 2019.
Our programs are tailor made to meet the needs of each rural community and can be offered individually or as a combination package.
The Gear Up™ program focuses on educating the next generation of agricultural workers by interacting with students at Ag colleges and high schools.
Health and safety messages are delivered through motion graphics, national and international examples of farm safety campaigns, interactive knowledge quizzes, demonstrations and prizes.
Pre-survey data provides facilitators and students an opportunity to open up discussions around health and safety, allowing real and meaningful conversations to take place. Students build knowledge and confidence around hazard minimisation and risk control, empowering them to question health and safety practices with their family and/or employers.
Recent post survey data on the Gear Up™ program provides evidence that students have gained knowledge post program. Students report an increased understanding on personal protective equipment and improved behaviours by increasing their helmet use and sourcing/fitting a Crushing Protection Device to their quadbike.
Each Wednesday we feature a Farmer Health fact sheet from www.farmerhealth.org.au on Facebook and Twitter. These fact sheets are a useful resource to keep you on top of your game! You asked for a quick recap so here it is!
On July 15th, the National Centre for Farmer Health’s Dr Alison Kennedy was invited to give evidence before the Victorian Royal Commission into Mental Health Systems in Maryborough. This was the only day dedicated to hearing from witnesses in rural Victoria. Dr Kennedy was one of only eight witnesses called and gave evidence about the work of the Centre and the current evidence on farmer mental health and suicide prevention.
The Gear Up™ program focuses on educating the next generation of agricultural workers by interacting with students at Ag colleges and high schools. 
