Fifth year of the FCC Ag Safety Fund to focus on tractor and machinery training
September 12, 2014, Winnipeg, Manitoba – The Canadian Agricultural Safety Association (CASA) is pleased to be partnering once again with Farm Credit Canada to announce the call for applications to the 2015 – 2016 FCC Ag Safety Fund.
The Fund, now in its fifth year, has provided over $400,000 to charitable and non-profit organizations to deliver farm safety training programs in their communities or within the agricultural sector. This year, $100,000 will be awarded to successful applicants.
“FCC supports projects and initiatives that make positive changes in the communities where our customers live and work across Canada,” said Sophie Perreault, FCC Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. “By raising awareness through ongoing safety education and training, we are helping producers effectively manage those risks in their operations.”
The 2015 – 2016 FCC Ag Safety Fund will focus on offering grants to organizations that will deliver tractor and machinery safety training in a community setting to Canadian farmers and farm workers. According to Canadian Agricultural Injury Reporting (CAIR) data, between 1990 and 2008, 70 per cent of agricultural fatalities in Canada were related to machinery, 46 per cent were caused by rollovers, runovers and entanglements.
Marcel Hacault is the Executive Director of CASA “The shift in focus of the FCC Ag Safety Fund is to address the reality that the majority of farm fatalities are related to equipment. The FCC Ag Safety Fund is an excellent opportunity to provide more machinery-related training which we hope will lead to fewer farm injuries and fatalities. Because of our partnership with FCC, CASA has been able to offer a variety of initiatives, including the FCC Ag Safety Fund and Back to Ag.”
Earlier this year, FCC donated $100,000 to the Back to Ag program aimed at helping farmers and agricultural workers return to work after a life-altering injury. The donation was a result of a social media campaign done in partnership with the Rick Hansen Foundation and CASA, which is responsible for managing the Back to Ag program.
Applications to the FCC Ag Safety Fund will be accepted online from September 15 to October 20, 2014. To apply, go to: https://casa-acsa.ca/fcc-ag-safety-fund.
The Canadian Agricultural Safety Association is a national, non-profit organization dedicated to improving the health and safety of farmers, their families and agricultural workers. CASA is funded in part by Growing Forward 2, a federal, provincial and territorial initiative and receives additional support from the agricultural and corporate sectors including: Farm Credit Canada, the Progressive Agriculture Foundation, CHS and TransCanada Corporation. For more information, visit www.casa-acsa.ca, find us on Facebook or LinkedIn or follow us on Twitter @planfarmsafety.
As Canada’s leading agriculture lender, FCC is advancing the business of agriculture. With a healthy portfolio of more than $25 billion and 20 consecutive years of portfolio growth, FCC is strong and stable – committed to serving the industry through all cycles and to being socially and environmentally responsible. FCC provides financing, insurance, software, learning programs and other business services to producers, agribusinesses and agri-food operations. Employees are passionate about agriculture and committed to the success of customers and the industry. For more information, visit www.fcc.ca. Follow Farm Credit Canada on Facebook, LinkedIn and on Twitter @FCCagriculture.
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