Insurance Incentives for Safe Farms

Agriculture has long been recognized to be a hazardous profession. Farmers have a high level of awareness and concern about the health problems they face. Reasons for not using existing safety devices such as rollover protective structures include the cost of retrofitting older equipment, concern that they are effective and concern about interference with operation of the tractor. Participating farmers would also utilize screening and preventive medicine services designed to address health problems for which they are at risk. The time has come to work more closely with the health insurance industry to devise economically feasible and sustainable programs to benefit farm families. Barriers exist to implementation of health and safety practices that can make farms a safer workplace. Farmers have a high level of awareness and concern about the health problems they face. The time has come to work more closely with the health insurance industry to devise economically feasible and sustainable programs to benefit farm families.