“Safety Today, Success Tomorrow,” a theme of 2026 National Farm Safety and Health Week. Dan Neenan of the National Education Center for Agricultural Safety says this annual education and awareness campaign goes back to the presidential administration of Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
“FDR signed the first National Farm Safety and Health Proclamation way back in 1944, and it’s always been the third week in September ever since then.”
As for the theme of this year’s observance, set for Sept. 21 through 25:
“If you practice safety today, later on in life you’re going to have all your digits and you’re going to be able to hear your grandchildren.”
Daily awareness topics again are part of the annual event. And for the 2026 edition:
“On Monday, it’s equipment and rural roadway safety, talking about being well lit because as we get into harvest season, the days are getting shorter. You’ve got your farm equipment out on the roadway, which is bigger and moving slower. How do we make ourselves visible to the folks on the roadway? Tuesday is health and wellness, dealing with medical type issues, dealing with brain health as we work through some different seasons. Wednesday is generations of farming, dealing with the kids on the farm and with the older generations that are still out there farming. Thursday is confined spaces, which is going to be grain bins and manure pits. We’re having a very bad year as far as grain engulfments this year, so to work with at that.”
Friday’s theme is a new coverage topic for National Farm Safety and Health Week.
“Cancer prevention among farmers and rural communities. There’s a high prevalence of cancer in the rural communities, so taking a look at what we can do to keep ourselves healthy.”
Within the theme days:
“Each one of those will have some webinars attached to it. There’ll be two webinars every day that folks can take.”
More information about this year’s National Farm Safety and Health Week campaign and events are available online at www.necasag.org.