Agricultural work is among the most dangerous occupations in the United States, with farm owners and workers routinely exposed to severe traumatic injuries such as amputations, burns and crush injuries.
In rural areas, the time it takes for emergency medical services to arrive often means that farm workers themselves must act as first responders. Despite this reality, many lack the specialized training needed to respond effectively to life-threatening injuries.
These trainings equip farm owners and workers with life-saving first aid skills, improve emergency response in rural areas and potentially save thousands in injury-related costs.
To address this gap, Jacob Powell, a crops and livestock faculty member with the Oregon State University Extension Service, developed and leads a series of farm-specific first aid trainings aimed at improving emergency response and reducing injury severity on farms. The trainings are part of a broader effort that began in 2021 and have now reached nearly 100 farm owners and employees across four counties in north-central Oregon.
In 2023, Powell conducted two in-person trainings in Wasco and Umatilla counties, attended by 32 participants. In 2024 and early 2025, two additional sessions were held in Wasco and Hood River counties, reaching 23 participants.
The training curriculum, developed by Powell, covers essential first aid skills tailored to agriculture, including treatment for burns, amputations, impaled objects, shock, heat illness, various types of bleeding, CPR, the use of tourniquets, patient assessment and cervical spine stabilization.
Participants reported significant improvements in knowledge and confidence. In one training, 20 attendees rated their understanding of farm safety topics at level 2 (on a 1–5 scale) before the course, improving to level 4 afterward. In another session, 17 participants felt better prepared to respond to injuries, and 10 reported that the training would likely lead to fewer injuries on their farms.
It’s difficult to put an economic number on first aid training for farm workers, according to Powell. However, based on current research and from training evaluations, these trainings potentially saved farmers a total of $10,000 to $15,000, when including U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration fines and the financial and emotional costs of farm fatalities and debilitating injuries.
Many farm employers have requested that these trainings be made available in Spanish. Powell was able to get a $32,000 grant from the Western Extension Risk Management Education Center at Washington State University to expand farm first aid trainings in 2024-2025 to be in Spanish and create an online on demand bilingual Farm First Aid and Safety Course through OSU’s Professional and Continuing Education unit in the Division of Extension and Engagement.
These trainings equip farm owners and workers with life-saving first aid skills, improve emergency response in rural areas and potentially save thousands in injury-related costs — enhancing both safety and economic resilience across Oregon’s agricultural communities.
