National Farm Safety & Health Week and NASDA Annual Meeting
From the Western Ag Network, I’m Bob Larson with your Agribusiness Update.
**The 2022 data for the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics indicate the agricultural sector is still the most dangerous in America with 417 fatalities.
That’s why this annual promotion held in the third week of September has been recognized as National Farm Safety and Health Week and proclaimed as such by each sitting president since Franklin D. Roosevelt.
This year’s theme for National Farm Safety and Health Week is “Safety today. Success tomorrow.”
**Agriculture leaders from across the country gathered in Maine, for the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture’s 2026 Annual Meeting.
Roughly 460 people attended the meeting in person or virtually, where state ag commissioners, directors, and secretaries discussed challenges and opportunities facing farmers and ranchers.
Maine Ag Commissioner and NASDA President Amanda Beal says bringing state leaders together helps them tackle shared challenges and identify opportunities to strengthen agriculture nationwide.
**The Senate Ag Committee advanced its version of the 2026 Farm Bill, but the National Young Farmers Coalition says the legislation falls short on issues affecting the next generation of farmers.
Young Farmers Executive Director Michelle Hughes says the coalition recognizes bipartisan provisions supporting small farms, farmer education, and local food programs.
But the bill does not include the New Producer Economic Security Act or address significant barriers to affordable farmland.
