Vaccination

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

Labor has always been an issue, mainly because we are a seasonal operation. So that's a challenge finding somebody who only wants to work three months out of a year, sometimes up to six months.
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Mandy Way

Way Farms

Farm Labor Resources
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Ernie Welch

Van Wert County Farm Bureau

Strong communities
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Matt Aultman

Darke County Farm Bureau

Leadership development
Farm Bureau involvement has taught me how to grow my professional and leadership experience outside of the workforce and how to do that in a community-centric way.
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Jaclyn De Candio

Clark County Farm Bureau

Young Ag Professionals program
With not growing up on a farm, I’d say I was a late bloomer to agriculture. I feel so fortunate that I found the agriculture industry. There are so many opportunities for growth.
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Jenna Gregorich

Coshocton County Farm Bureau

Growing our Generation
Knowing that horticulture is under the agriculture umbrella and having Farm Bureau supporting horticulture like it does the rest of ag is very important.
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Jared Hughes

Groovy Plants Ranch

Groovy Plants Ranch
If it wasn't for Farm Bureau, I personally, along with many others, would not have had the opportunity to meet with our representatives face to face in Washington.
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Austin Heil

Hardin County Farm Bureau

Washington, D.C. Leadership Experience
So many of the issues that OFBF and its members are advocating for are important to all Ohioans. I look at OFBF as an agricultural watchdog advocating for farmers and rural communities across Ohio.
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Mary Smallsreed

Trumbull County Farm Bureau

Advocacy
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