Friday, September 17, 2021

Safety & Health Tips for Women in Agriculture

Women in agriculture need to remain safe and healthy too. Agriculture these days is not just for men. And because of this, this article is here to talk about safety and health tips for awesome women who are working hard in agriculture these days. 

These days, the difference between urban and rural women is that there is a different shift of labor when they are on the farm. This provides labor used in farms. There are a variety of operations that take place on the farm. You need to look at the type of available help, the season/weather, and the specific operation the women are doing. 

These are all referred to as the phenomenon of the third shift. These have been recognized as what contributes to the stress that many women in agriculture feel. 

Every farm has its values set, which influences the labor division on farms—the potential of women that exposes them to different roles. Women try to handle a lot, and they need to fill out several roles. 

Risks which are Specific to Women in Agriculture 

Women can handle things just like men in any part of agricultural operations. Some simple health and safety risks are specific to just women. These are particular for only female farmers. 

The National Occupational Safety Institute for Health lists a lot of issues which women suffer from in agriculture. These include depression, risks from cancer, fatigue, work-related injuries, risks related to pregnancy, exposures to pesticides, and chronic bronchitis. 

Combining all these risks and being in a location that isn't urban means these women suffer from health disparities when one compares them with the entire population. Generally, women who live and grow in these rural health areas have inferior health outcomes. They also have reduced access to health care than women that live in urban areas. 

List of Safety and Health Tips for Women in Agriculture 

As a woman, you need to comply and read the safety manual as assigned for the farm. 

You need to keep up and follow the state and federal laws.

You need to properly mount your vehicles and keep your tools and vehicles clean and visible. This way, everyone knows you're driving the vehicle, and you can keep everyone around you safe. 

You need to make sure you dress correctly. Dress like someone that's working on the farm. Don't wear clothes meant for parties or dinners to the farm. If you do that, you will get hurt. 

Make sure you rest properly. Make sure you don't stay on the farm for too long. When you are tired, please rest. You are not Wonder Woman, and even she needs rest too. 

Don't drink alcohol while working. You could end up in a horrible fatal accident if you take alcohol as you work. Please avoid that and be careful.

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Photo by Tim Mossholder from Pexels

How to Keep Squirrels (and Other Animals) Out of Your Garden

Some people have gardens where annoying little squirrels can cause some damage. This article discusses safe ways you could keep squirrels and a variety of other animals from disturbing your beautiful plants. Here we go!

How You Can Keep Squirrels Out of Your Garden

You could get a dog: Lots of dogs enjoy chasing squirrels around. You could put your dogs to patrol for squirrels and scare them away.

Attack their sense of smell: Squirrels are consistently offended by the things that deer find offensive. Make use of repellents like deer repellent. This works very well. You could try out little coffee grounds layers. You might tuck in a bit of dog hair and keep this under some of your plants.

Surprise them: Squirrels are very active and fast, but no one likes to be surprised. You could shop at them or startle them away. You could spray them with water using a motion-activated sprinkler or use a motion-activated air that can blast them with some air.

Employ natural predators: You could make use of attracting owls or hawks, which are the natural predators of squirrels. If you have small animals in your yard that you like, then this method isn't recommended.

You could create a barrier: You do this by shielding ground crops using row covers. This creates an enclosure using chicken wire. You could even create your greenhouse, which would protect the plants in your garden from these squirrels. You should create any fence form and place it afoot through the ground. This would reduce the rate squirrels would try to dig underneath to get into your garden.

Try making use of companion plants: Plant mustard, nasturtiums, marigolds, and mint. This discourages squirrels.

You could make use of crowned imperial bulbs, also known as Fritillaria. These are recommended that you always plant them away from areas that are inhibited. These areas include porches or patios as a result of their strong smell of skunk.

How do you safely deter squirrels from destroying your garden?

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Photo by Joseph Yu from Pexels