Dairy farm safety short course offered

The Center for Dairy Farm Safety (CDFS) will offer a Dairy Farm Safety Short Course to local dairy producers in August and September at a variety of extension offices throughout the state.

The short course will be held from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. over a two-day period. All course materials and lunch are provided for a $15 registration fee.

Classes are scheduled at:

• Fond du Lac County Extension Office: Aug. 29 and Sept. 5.

• Shawano County Extension Office: Sept. 6 and Sept. 13.

• UW-River Falls Dairy Learning Center: Aug. 16 and Aug. 23.

• Baraboo - Foremost Farms Headquarters: Sept. 13 and Sept. 20.

For registration information, visit http://www.uwrf.edu/CenterForDairyFarmSafety/ or call 715-425-3240.

Courses are also set for the following counties: Barron, Buffalo, Clark, Crawford, Dane, Dodge, Jackson, Kewanee, Outagamie and Sheboygan. Check the website for dates.

The CDFS 10-hour short course is a comprehensive program covering:

• "Best Practice" protocols for the dairy farm.

• The Dairy Local Emphasis Program (LEP) and what it means for producers.

• Hazard identification and risk assessment.

• Chemical inventories and labeling.

• Components of an effective safety and health program.

• Hazards when working with animals, in farm structures, as well as with tractors and machinery.

• Employee training requirements.

• OSHA Agriculture Standards.

In addition to complete course materials, participants will receive templates and tools that can be applied to their dairy farm to assist in building best practices for an effective health and safety program.

The Center for Dairy Farm Safety was established through a Susan Harwood OSHA grant and the safety training materials were developed through collaboration by the University of Wisconsin-River Falls and UW-Extension. The program curriculum has been reviewed and approved by the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA).