Summary

Agricultural employment is plagued with one of the highest levels of mortality among occupational groups in the United States, making the health and safety of farmers, farm workers, and farm residents a leading priority for epidemiologists, occupational health and safety professionals, rural health providers, public health practitioners, and extension agents and educators.

Satisfying a growing need for a textbook on this significant aspect of public health, Agricultural Medicine is the first comprehensive textbook and reference for students of public health and health professionals in the field of rural medicine. Agricultural health and safety engages a multidisciplinary team of medical professionals, engineers, sociologists, epidemiologists, and psychologists for whom this book is an overdue yet essential reference.

The authors bring a combined 60 years of practice, research, teaching, and scholarship in agricultural medicine to the design and content of this book. Their farm background and ownership add practicality and relevancy to their presentation. An overview of the industry and workforce--agricultural production in the global economy, demographics of the workforce, regulations, statistics, and organizations targeting agricultural health and safety--provides context for the broad but thorough coverage of diseases, infectious and toxic agents, and potential injuries to which agricultural populations are exposed daily.