BURLINGTON, Vt. — A farm safety and health advocacy group will meet for its annual conference on Sunday, June 24 through Thursday, June 28 in Burlington, Vt.

The International Society for Agricultural Safety and Health (ISASH) conference is open to members and non-members, who will take tours highlighting Vermont agriculture and attend talks on social marketing and the latest research.

“This conference moves around the country. The tours give us ideas of how to approach agriculture from a different angle, and they are just plain fun. When you grow up on a farm, it is fun to see the agriculture of other places,” said Scott Heiberger, spokesperson for ISASH.

This year’s conference will feature a welcome from Chuck Ross, Vermont Secretary of Agriculture, and a professional improvement session, entitled Social Marketing in Agricultural Fatality and Injury Prevention.

Heiberger told Farm World that the talk is based on the success of New York’s campaign for Rollover Protection System (ROPS), in which a large number of rollbars were installed on tractors to prevent injury and death in case of an accident. “The talk will explain how they got the word out to farmers about this exciting program. They needed to explain where farmers could get their tractor retrofitted (with the rollbar), what models could be accommodated, and it was all free. A part of the campaign was to get farmers thinking (about safety) because even though it was free there’s always something else to do,” Heiberger said.

Heiberger said his own state of Wisconsin is working to start a ROPS program, funded by voluntary donations.

The most recent national safety issue in which ISASH members were involved was the failed attempt to pass child labor laws this year.

Members also have had a hand in successful safety initiatives, such as the slow-moving vehicle emblem, emergency farm rescue, assistive technologies for disabled farmers, and hand signals.

“It’s gratifying to see the major increase in interest, action and results of ISASH since it started 50 years ago,” said Jim Williams, a Bloomington, Ill., charter member and co-chair of the public relations committee.

ISASH is the new name for a group that was incorporated in 1962 as National Institute for Farm Safety.

Members voted last year to change the name to ISASH. “The ISASH name acknowledges the growing number of members involved in health and agromedicine, as well as safety,” said ISASH president, Marsha Purcell, American Farm Bureau Federation. “There also was a desire to recognize growth in international membership.”

Heiberger said that a few of the 200 ISASH members are European and Canadian, and the organization wants to expand further into Europe and Australia.

A diverse group of members are involved, such as engineers, educators, insurers, physicians, nurses, veterinarians, statisticians, communicators, business leaders and others who want a safer and healthier agricultural workplace, Heiberger said.

“A majority are hobby farmers or have some other actual connection to farmers. We are very passionate about agriculture. That’s the first reason we’re involved; the second is the various professions we bring to the table,” he said.

“A lot of brainstorming happens at this conference as people get together. That is one of the values of having this annual event,” Heiberger said.

Go to www.isash.org for more details on the conference and the organization.