Johnson Named NDSU Extension Farm and Ranch Safety Specialist

By Angie Johnson

Angie Johnson has accepted the position of North Dakota State University Extension farm and ranch safety specialist.

Johnson will lead the development of an innovative NDSU Extension program focused on the identification, assessment, delivery and evaluation of agricultural safety and health educational resources. Her efforts will support the creation of a nationally recognized farm and ranch safety program serving NDSU Extension agents and specialists, producers, agricultural clientele, farm and ranch families, emergency service personnel and mental health professionals.

“Protecting our agricultural producers, families and workers must be our top priority, as people are our greatest assets needed to feed and clothe a hungry world,” says Johnson. “Farm and ranch safety education is critical to prevent injuries and fatalities in production agriculture, as most injury and fatality incidents in agriculture are preventable.”

According to the United States Department of Agriculture, nearly 25% of North Dakota’s workforce are farmers, ranchers or employed in agricultural-related industries.

Nationally, production agriculture has the highest number of work-related fatalities in the U.S., with 20.3 deaths per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers in 2023, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Injuries in agriculture occur at a rate of 4.2 cases per 100 full-time workers in the U.S., the third highest occupation receiving injuries.

Self-employed farmers, ranchers and their family members are excluded from these datasets, showcasing significant underreporting of injuries in fatalities in production agriculture. In North Dakota, 86% of farmers and ranchers are family farms or self-employed.