CANDOR, N.Y. — On Thursday, September 28, supporters and community members gathered for a press conference to celebrate the expanded partnership of the New York Center for Agricultural Medicine and Health (NYCAMH) and Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tioga County’s Hilltop Community Farm. The occasion debuted the animal handling system funded through collaborative efforts of NYCAMH’s John May Farm Safety Fund, CCE Tioga, and the Candor Central School District.

The animal handling system is one of the ways NYCAMH and CCE Tioga are partnering to bring farm safety outreach to locals. Barb Neal, extension educator at CCE Tioga explained, “The [Hilltop Community] farm is really for the future, we need more farmers and we need safe farmers, and that’s what this partnership is all about—is creating a mindset of safety.”

Ursula Bauer, Deputy Commissioner of Public Health representing NYS Department of Health shared, “I commend CCE and NYCAMH for looking for ways to innovatively encourage good farm management and safety for the next generation”

CCE Tioga’s Hilltop Community Farm is an incubator farm, supporting new farmers by providing resources, training and education opportunities, and plots of land to take business dreams to fruition over the course of three years. NYS Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo commented, “You have some really stellar activity going on here, I’m really proud to be here, also to celebrate the connections you’re making with the John May Farm Safety Fund.”

The farm is also used for education for local Candor CSD students, some who attended the event, and the local community. The partnership with NYCAMH has already brought hands-on classes for topics like chainsaw safety and tractor safety to Tioga County locals and neighboring regions.

NYCAMH specializes in occupational safety and health in agriculture and houses programs that assist farmers in creating and maintaining safe workplaces. Programs like the John May Farm Safety Fund help farmers to prevent injuries and illness on their farms through a cost-sharing approach to safety upgrades. The program has funded over 230 projects since 2016 with awards for farm safety upgrades totaling over $900,000.

A local recipient of the John May Farm Safety Fund, Becca Rimmel of Bottomland Farm, shared her experience working with NYCAMH during the press conference, “They helped us look at different aspects of our farm and how we might increase the safety throughout, but we also discussed, in particular, our pasture raised pigs and how we were going to safely handle them and safely manage their health and our own.”

The John May Farm Safety Fund has continued to grow thanks to generous donors and state support. “We’re proud that over the years grant funding from the state to NYCAMH has led for not only this great work we’re celebrating but also research, education, and outreach activities to promote safer farms, not just for the farms, but the families that work at the farms.” shared Jennifer Trodden, Deputy Commissioner of NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets.

After partner remarks, one of the active farmers on the incubator farm, Mike Quinlan of Ironwood Grazing, demonstrated for attendees how he uses the funded animal handling system to handle his sheep safely. He shared how the new equipment saves him time and back pain. Attendees also toured Hilltop Community Farm and were fascinated with the innovation and potential the land and farm had to offer. Julie Sorensen, Executive Director of NYCAMH shared, “We’re very happy to have the opportunity to partner with CCE Tioga in ways that ensure the profitability and wellbeing of New York farms.”

To learn more about NYCAMH and the John May Farm Safety Fund, visit: www.nycamh.org/johnmayfund. For more information about CCE Tioga’s Hilltop Community Farm, visit https://tioga.cce.cornell.edu/hilltop-community-farm.

NYCAMH, a program of Bassett Healthcare Network, is enhancing agricultural and rural health by preventing and treating occupational injury.

–Christina Day and Dahlia Sheehan-Yassin
The New York Center for Agricultural Medicine & Health – NYCAMH