2023 MRASH Schedule

7:30 – 8:30 a.m. Breakfast and Registration

8:30 – 10:45 a.m. Keynote Session: Opportunities and Concerns of Youth In Agriculture Today

- Keynote Speaker: Holly Schmitt, Iowa FFA President
- Youth Panel & Grandparent Panel: Facilitator: Josie Rudolpi, Assistant Professor and Extension Ag Safety Specialist, University of Illinois

Youth Panel:

Grandparent Panel:

11:00 – Noon. Breakout Session 1

Room A:
- Rural Adolescent Attitudes and Use of Helmets While Riding ATVs, Motorcycles and Dirt Bikes, Sehansa Karunatilaka, Undergraduate Student, University of Iowa:
- Rural Adolescent Attitudes and Use of Equestrian Helmets, Brianna Iverson, 2nd year Medical Student, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine.
- Snowmobile Helmets: Attitudes and Use by Rural Adolescents, Brianna Iverson, 2nd year Medical Student, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine.
Room B:
- Farm Adolescent Stress and Mental Health, Josie M. Rudolphi, PhD, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
- An Analysis of Thwarted Belongingness and Perceived Burdensomeness Among a State-Wide Agriculture Youth Essay Contest, Katrina A. Clontz, BS, University of Kentucky.
Room C:
- Needs Assessment of Wisconsin Agricultural Educators, Cassandra Peltier, National Children’s Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety.
- Safety Needs of Experiential Educators in Rural Iowa High Schools, John Temple, Graduate Student, Iowa State University.

Noon – 1:00 p.m. Lunch, including student networking lunch

1:00 – 2:00 p.m. Breakout Session 2

Room A:
- Assessing the Role of Distance to Level I Trauma Units on ATV Rollovers, Tractor Rollovers, and Machinery Entanglement Outcomes, Andrew Schissel, MPH, University of Nebraska Medical Center, College of Public Health, Central States Center for Agricultural Safety and Health
- Solutions for Iowa’s Farmers with Disabilities, Tracy Keninger, MS, CRC, ATP, Easterseals Iowa.
Room B:
- The Benefits and Risks of Child-Livestock Interactions as Identified by Dairy Farm Parents, Jakob Hanschu, MA, National Farm Medicine Center.
- Keeping children safe on the farm: What kinds of solutions do farm parents want? Florence Becot, PhD, National Farm Medicine Center.
Room C:
- Roundtable: What’s New and Innovative in the World of Outreach? Ellen Duysen, MPH, University of Nebraska Medical Center, College of Public Health, Central States Center for Agricultural Safety and Health. Marsha Cheyney, MPH, University of Iowa, College of Public Health, Great Plains Center for Agricultural Health; Jana Davidson, Progressive Agriculture Foundation; Aaron Yoder, PhD, University of Nebraska Medical Center, College of Public Health, Central States Center for Agricultural Safety and Health Melissa Ploekelman, National Children’s Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety.

2:15 – 3:15 p.m. Breakout Session 3

Room A
- Empowering Youth Safety & Health Superheroes from Classrooms to Communities throughout North America, Jana L. Davidson, Program Manager, Progressive Agriculture Foundation.
- A School-based Virtual Hearing Conservation Intervention For Teen Farmers in Rural Texas, Dr. P. Ryan Saucier, Sam Houston State University.
Room B
- The Demographics and Locations Associated with Personal Protective Equipment Usage Rates in the Central States, Carter Vogel, MPH University of Nebraska Center, College of Public Health, Central States Center for Agricultural Safety and Health.
- Factors Influencing Worker Safety in Grain Handling: An Advisory Panel Perspective, Elzerie Derry, Graduate Student, Iowa State University.
Room C
- Roundtable: Story time: multi-center collaboration uses science, narrative to reach families with agricultural safety and health messages, Melissa Ploeckelman, BS, National Farm Medicine Center/National Children’s Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety

3:30 – 4:30 p.m. Breakout Session 4

Room A
- A National Study of Firearm Presence and Storage Practices in Rural Adolescent Homes, Benjamin Linden, 4th year medical student, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine.
- A National Study of Rural Youth’s Exposure to Firearm Violence and Attitudes Towards Firearm Safety Measures, Megan Sinik, 4th Year Medical Student, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine.
- A National Study of Firearm Use and Safety Training of Rural Adolescents, Jamie Koopman, MD, 1st year Emergency Medicine resident, Franciscan Alliance Olympia Fields, Olympia Fields, IL.
Room B
- The landscape of farmer mental health programs in the US Midwest, Florence Becot, PhD, National Farm Medicine Center.
- Relationships Can Heal: Knowing the Farmer Client, David Brown, Ph.D., LMFT, CFLE, Iowa State University
- Reducing Barriers to Mental Health Care in Illinois: Establishing a Voucher Program for Farmers, Kacie Hulshof, University of Illinois Mental Health Voucher Program Coordinator.
Room C
- Modification of an eLearning platform to streamline in-person Gear Up for Ag™ programs, Carolyn Sheridan RN,BSN,COHC, Executive Director, Founder, Ag Health and Safety Alliance.
- Speed vs. Safety on the Farm: Why do young adults prioritize speed? Ernesto Mendez, MS, University of Iowa.

5:00 – 7:30 p.m. Poster Reception at the National Mississippi River Museum

7:30 – 8:30 a.m. Breakfast and Registration

8:30 – 9:30 a.m. Integrating Research and Public Policy: Models that Work

Sally Stutsman, former Iowa Legislator and Johnson County Supervisor
Brad Wolters, Director of Federal Government Relations for the Marshfield Clinic Health System
Florence Becot, Rural Sociologist and Associate Research Scientist, National Farm Medicine Center

9:30 – 10:00 a.m. Break

10:00-11:00 a.m. Youth Employment: Policies, Guidelines and Best Practices

Diane Rohlman, Director, Healthier Workforce Center and Associate Dean for Research, University of Iowa College of Public Health
Marsha Salzwedel, Youth Agricultural Safety Specialist, National Children’s Center for Agricultural Health and Safety
Cassandra Peltier, Health Educator Associate, National Farm Medicine Center

11:00 a.m. – 11:15 Break

11:15 – Noon Networking Discussion Groups

Noon – 1:00 p.m. Awards Luncheon – Outstanding Ag Youth Grant Project

2:00 – 5:00 p.m. Post-conference Workshop: Emergency Preparedness at the National Education Center for Agricultural Safety (NECAS).

Disaster PrepWise is a program that uses an all-hazards approach to conduct assessments and prepare a household for emergencies (natural disasters, fires, etc).
Farm MAPPER is an interactive web-based prototype that provides emergency responders onsite information about hazards, resources and physical layouts of agricultural operations.
Next Steps Discussion: Ideas for using, what is missing, how to organize
National Education Center for Agricultural Safety tour of training topics and resources available from NECAS.