Farm Progress

Baring it all for a good cause

The Around Farm Progress podcast shares a frank conversation about a topic some farmers would rather avoid – skin cancer.

Willie Vogt

May 20, 2022

Those sunbaked days of your youth could come back to haunt you. That’s what happened for Brad Haire, Southeast Farm Press, a few years ago. He wrote about it recently in Still standing naked for a good reason. And shares that story and more in this latest episode of Around Farm Progress.

Haire had a run-in with melanoma several years ago, but caught it early. That early detection put him on a regular path of standing naked before the dermatologist on a regular basis. And he’s advising that farmers consider doing the same.

In his conversation he shares his experience, and recent news that that good doctor is keeping an eye on another spot – this one in a more “uncomfortable” place. In this free-wheeling conversation, Haire offers some insights on the topic and emphasizes the value of those bare-it-all checks in catching things early.

May is skin cancer awareness month and Haire wants listeners to be aware of the dangers of not catching that melanoma or carcinoma early.

And there is a little help if you have someone check you at home first. ABCDE is a code. A for asymmetry because most harmless moles are symmetrical. B for border, where an irregular border can be a sign of trouble. C is for color where the suspect spot may vary in color across its margins. D is for diameter because these suspect spots can be bigger than the average mole. And finally E for evolving where a spot changes visibly over time.

Given the outdoor nature of farm work, getting a regular dermatologist check makes sense. And note, in this podcast there is a light-hearted approach, though we do know it’s a series issue.

Give it a listen.

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The podcast Around Farm Progress goes live online by 3 p.m. Central time each Friday and will engage editors from around the country as well as experts in our industry. You can listen to this week's episode above or subscribe using your favorite podcast service just search "Around Farm Progress" and subscribe so you don't miss an episode.

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About the Author

Willie Vogt

Willie Vogt has been covering agricultural technology for more than 40 years, with most of that time as editorial director for Farm Progress. He is passionate about helping farmers better understand how technology can help them succeed, when appropriately applied.

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