The overall goal of the CDC/NIOSH funded Western Center for Agricultural Health and Safety (WCAHS) is to improve the health and safety of farmers, farmworkers and farm family members in western agriculture. In 2003 WCAHS successfully hosted its first biannual meeting in San Francisco under the title 'Challenges in Agricultural health and Safety'. The primary objective of the 2006 collaborative conference will be to address the use of research outcomes in the field of agricultural health and safety, and how they can be implemented in practice to directly benefit agriculturally dependent populations in the Western states. The proposed conference will examine issues and challenges and foster open discussion of implementation strategies and new approaches to taking research results to practice in an agricultural setting. Through lectures, discussions, poster sessions, and networking, the participants will develop solutions for taking agricultural health and safety knowledge into the field. We anticipate that this conference will stimulate further collaboration among professionals with an interest in agricultural health and safety in the western states by identifying commonalities and cooperative solutions. The conference's specific target audience includes individuals with a professional interest in agricultural health and safety, including representatives from educational institutions, government regulatory agencies, health care providers and/or facilities, community organizations, and industry groups. We expect an attendance of approximately 150 people, with a dominant attendance from the Western states of California, Arizona, Nevada, Hawaii, Idaho, Washington and Oregon. The conference will begin on Wednesday afternoon September 20, 2006 with early registration, poster setup and a social/mixer for participants. Thursday and Friday morning September 21 and 22, 2006, will begin with roundtable breakfast discussions lead by the Centers' directors and representatives from state and local agencies. Topics will include, but are not limited to, farm injury, mental illness/depression, respiratory illness, infectious diseases, organic/sustainable farming, and large dairies. An optional agricultural tour through to the Salinas agricultural area will be provided on Saturday morning. During the bus ride, UC Cooperative Extension Advisors will provide information about the surrounding area from an agricultural health and safety perspective. ? ? ?
