Building COVID Confidence on the Farm

Even though anyone who is over the age of 16 in the U.S. is now eligible to receive a COVID vaccination, many who work on farms still have not signed up to receive one.

Dairy producer, Marianne Peterson of J.M. Peterson Farms Inc., located in Pine City, Minn., has effectively communicated with her workforce about COVID-19 since it began. "I would print handouts from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture and post them by the time clock, as well as hand them out to all of our employees," she says.

Now that dairy farms are hitting their busy time of year, with many farmers heading to the fields, dairy farmers like Peterson cannot afford to have employees call in sick. Peterson, owns and operates a 400-cow dairy farm with her husband, Jeff, and their oldest son, Jacob, farms 2,500 acres an hour north of the Twin Cities. Between the two, the Petersons depend on the help of their 18 employees to run both the dairy and crop side of their farming business.

"We are already short on labor and we cannot have employees call in sick, especially as we get busy with spring fieldwork," Peterson says.

Recently, one of Peterson's employees tested positive for COVID-19 and had to quarantine away from the farm. "She got paid time off and once she tested negative, she was able to come back to work," Peterson adds. "Thankfully, as a part-time calf feeder, she had limited exposure to other employees."

To help bring COVID-19 awareness to the operation, Peterson visits her local public health Facebook page daily, copies the link and sends it out to her employees via group text.

"I try and not be pushy, but I want them to be aware of open vaccination appointments," she explains. "There is no reason for someone who wants a vaccination to not to be able to get vaccinated. However, if an employee does not want to get vaccinated, as an employer, I have to respect that."

In addition, Peterson offers to sit down with employees one-on-one to help them get signed up. While Peterson has yet to offer incentives for employees to get vaccinated, she is now considering it to help push those that are on the fence.

"$100 is a great incentive; it's basically two tanks of gas," Peterson states. "And really if one employee gets sick, it is likely another will, too, and we simply cannot afford to have that happen with an already shorthanded labor force."

The Peterson family believes that building COVID confidence at the farm level reiterates that they care about their employees. "Farmers openly talk about safety on the farm, whether that is with equipment handling or stockman training," Peterson says. "Keeping a healthy workforce is another way that we can provide farm safety."

NMPF launches Cornorvirus Toolbox

Recently National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) launched their Cornorvirus Toolbox which illustrates their nationwide effort to promote vaccine confidence. "A healthy dairy workforce is essential to ensuring continuity of operations and a safe, plentiful food supply," NMPF states.

The NMPF COVID toolbox suggests that farmers:

• Lead by example; making sure you get vaccinated when it is your turn, and let your employees know you did.
• Adapt key messages about COVID-19 vaccines to the language, tone, and format that will resonate with your employees.
• Post workplace flyers, factsheets and info graphics to reinforce the safety and benefits of COVID-19 vaccines.
• Invite vaccinated employees to share their experience with other employees.
• Invite a local physician or other public health expert to speak with your employees about vaccines.

For more information on helping employees get vaccinated, visit COVID-19 Vaccination & the Dairy Workforce - NMPF.