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Farmers never hesitate to roll up their sleeves alongside their employees in the field. Now, many are doing that in COVID-19 vaccination clinics across the country – or even on the farm.

American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall shared farmer stories with Vice President Kamala Harris at the launch of the COVID-19 Community Corps, a public education campaign to increase vaccine confidence. AFBF is a founding member.

“Now that the vaccine supply is ramping up, we look forward to the next step, which is addressing barriers to receive the vaccine and making sure folks understand that the vaccine is safe and effective,” Duvall said on the call with the vice president. “We urge the White House and our states to continue to bolster the vaccine supply. Farm Bureau is committed to play an important part in the solution. We want to promote the benefits of the vaccine and work together to fight this pandemic so that we can protect our communities and protect our food supply.”

Launched in April, the initiative is intended to increase public confidence in and uptake of COVID-19 vaccines while reinforcing basic prevention measures such as mask wearing and social distancing. The campaign uses a network of trusted messengers, like AFBF, to help the public make informed decisions about their health and COVID-19, including steps to protect themselves and their communities.

For farmers, ranchers and other rural business owners who aren’t sure how to approach the topic of vaccines with their employees, the Health Action Alliance, a joint partnership between leading business and public health organizations, is focused on working directly with businesses to reach employees and share information about COVID-19 vaccine options, answer tough questions and help individuals make the choice that is right for them and their families.

In addition, HAA has prepared a Conversation Guide for Small Business Owners to help them engage in productive conversations about vaccines with their employees and workers, along with sample communications tools to support their outreach, including staff emails, social media tools, audience insights and other materials.  They also offer workshops and events to help business leaders prepare their employees and workers for vaccines.

More resources are available in the small business section of healthaction.org.

Photo credit: istockphoto