Prologue: agricultural occupational and environmental health: policy strategies for the future

The conference "Agricultural Occupational and Environmental Health: Policy Strategies for the Future" documented for the public record the epidemic of occupational and environmental deaths, diseases, and injuries experienced by America's farm families and agricultural workers. The conference also gave life to a process aimed at reducing those hazards. The outcome of long-range objectives of lowering death, injury, and disease rates in our agricultural population will not be known for several years. However, there was unanimous consensus that the major short-range objectives were achieved. Extensive regional and national media coverage helped meet the goal of facilitating public awareness of the issues. In addition, a prioritized policy agenda, soundly based on recent scientific information, was produced. This agenda was the product of collaboration between the scientific community, farm constituency groups, farm equipment and chemical manufacturers, and representatives from state and federal governments. Primary changes resulting from the conference include an increase in general awareness and a sense of urgency that agricultural health problems must be addressed. In addition, the conference spawned a new organization called the National Coalition for Agricultural Safety and Health (N-CASH) to help assure a vibrant continuation of conference issues. This coalition will live on to help disseminate the spirit, information, and specific policy recommendations of the conference to the public sector and private institutions. Two years of planning and work by 18 individuals occurred even before the start of the conference. During the conference, 176 individuals put in an equivalent of three and a half person years of work. However, the work is just beginning. This effort is justified if it results in one less death or serious injury in a farm family.