Iowa's Center for Agricultural Safety and Health, or I-CASH, has awarded funds to seven projects for 2007 through its grant program aimed at decreasing the risk of illness and injury to young people living on Iowa farms or involved in agriculture.

Since its inception in 1990, I-CASH has designated funds each year for communities to develop farm injury prevention and education programs for Iowa's youth. This year, a total of $5,000 was awarded. This year's recipients are conducting community programs on farm safety, including the development of farm safety curricula for youth, educational booths with interactive displays, ATV and tractor safety, agricultural health, and livestock safety.

Projects help protect rural youth

Following are this year's grant recipients, with a brief description of each project:

* Adams County Youth & 4-H, "Kids Safety Day Camp." This youth-run and organized day camp is geared toward educating fellow county youth about safety practices when visiting farms.
* Iowa State University Extension, Louisa County, "Growing Safe Youth: A Valuable Crop." 4-H youth will help present a different safety topic for each day of the five-day Louisa County Fair.
* Town and Country Farm Safety, "Safe Tractor and Machinery Operation Program." Local FFA (Future Farmers of America) members will educate youth on ATV and tractor safety, as well as agricultural health.
* O'Brien County Extension, "Farm Safety Scene." This interactive farm safety scene, built in part by youth, is a scale model of a rural landscape in which potential hazards are represented.
* Iowa State University Extension, Jefferson County, "Farm Safety Day Camp." This event at the Jefferson County Fair will feature topics including ATVs, sun safety, tractors and more.
* Kossuth and Palo Alto county Agricultural Extension Districts, "Farm Safety Awareness Program." Curriculum for the youth and adult farm safety training days will include tractor safety, livestock safety and rural health.
* Orient Bulldogs 4-H Club, "Rounding Up the Cows" Livestock and ATV Safety Program. A four-county-wide program safety day will heighten awareness of ATV and livestock hazards.
More details on these projects, and those from past years, are available online at www.public-health.uiowa.edu/icash. I-CASH is a partnership of the UI, Iowa State University, the Iowa Department of Public Health, and the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship.