Constitution Avenue January 7th 2010
Washington DC has been hit by a record blizzard, dumping up to 38 inches of snow just north of the City. I am stranded here and unable to get back to Vermont and the office. Luckily there is the internet and I can continue to work from here, almost as if I was in my office. AgrAbility has a conference call scheduled at 2:30, so I will be able to take that from here as well. Life continues even when the roads, metro and airports shut down.
What was really interesting to see is the difference between rural readiness and city readiness. In all fairness, Washington does not get this kind of snow and simply does not have the plows or sand trucks to keep things cleared up. Washington is a green city with so many trees all around, and it was easy to see that power was going to go out and when it did, were my hosts equipped for the long haul? A bathtub filled with water so that toilets could get flushed? Bottled water to drink? Flashlights? Shovels? What about food? Were there ready-to-meals that could be cooked on the gas burners? It seems like common sense for us in Vermont to know how to prepare for a winter storm, but if I was at home would I be prepared to hold out for a couple of days?
Turns out that my hosts were not really prepared and were lucky to be out of power for only 5 hours. Also lucky for my hosts, there were stores that were on generators that opened the next day and were in walking distance. Many other people were in the same predicament.
I teased my host about his tea-spoon sized shovel. But in fairness, they hardly get snow of any huge amount here in the Capitol, so he dug out a smidge at a time. He said that every time he had gone to the hardware store, he saw decent sized snow shovels, but figured that he would just pick one up some other time. Then, when all the warnings went out about the heavy snow storm in early December and then this one, there had been a run on shovels and none left.
Hmm.. sounds familiar. I often think that way too. I use the last of something and think I will pick more of it up, then get busy with my day and my other things and when I need that thing I don’t have it. We all know that there is going to be more snow. And we are going to lose power. You might have a generator, but if you don’t have the fuel ready to go, it ain’t worth much. We all think we can hang on for a few days and our pantries are full, but what of our neighbors? Especially the ones that live out of town and not walking distance to the store.
Everyone is digging out here, and 
taking it all in stride. The airports are hopefully going to get going again, as there is another storm calling for a wet and heavy 6 more inches of snow. People are hustling to get stuff ready. I wonder if anyone has told them that they should be looking at shoveling off their roofs? A couple of buildings have already collapsed, but still, you gotta wonder if this snow is not the norm, then how would you expect anyone to know this?
Before leaving the Vermont Farm Show last week, I had to clean the snow off my car. The car parked behind mine had already been cleaned off, except for their lights. As I often do, I cleaned their headlights and taillights with my brush. The car owner approached as I was finishing the back end of her car and gave me a pretty quizzical look. I quickly explained what I’d been trying to be a good samaritan.
Keep yourself visible! When you’re cleaning the snow off your car, don’t forget your headlights and taillights. If your car is grayish/white because of the road salt, that same coating is on your lights. Grab a handful of snow and clean them off. Not only will you see better, you will be more visible to other drivers.
Are you using a lot of windshield washer fluid while on the road this winter? Top off your reservoir when you get home; you might also want to carry a spare jug of windshield washer fluid in your trunk.
After a brief respite from the airport this past month, aside from an adventurous trip to the Midwest for the holidays, I was back up in the air yesterday headed towards the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex to attend the Be Safe, Be Profitable Protecting Workers in Agriculture Conference as part of a joint venture between the Agricultural Safety and Health Council of America and National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
Today has been a full day of plenary sessions and special topics as they relate to keeping farmworkers safe as they work to feed our nation and maintain their livelihood and careers.
One of the topics covered today was that of heat related illness and death for farmworkers. It’s not necessarily a topic I think about in January given the arctic cold most of the country has been faced with during the past month, but one that is very real on a hot day in an afternoon in July. In the case studies and research presented today, many of the documented cases of fatalities for this particular cause of death occurred between the 1st-4th days that individuals were on the job. A scary reality to think that the first day on the job in a new environment would be so difficult that you wouldn’t make it to day 2.
While I can’t say I know what that feels like, I got a small glimpse and greater appreciation during a two week study tour to Costa Rica while in college that focused on coffee production in Central America. I only picked coffee for a little under an hour and was never so glad to turn in my bean bucket given the temperature, humidity, and unusual strain and repetition on muscles rarely used during just one hour.
For the farmworkers who are out there in a field day after day for hours on end to provide the food and drink on our table, I give thanks. A few states have taken on the challenge to protect their workers with standards to try to reduce the number of fatalities and injuries to farmworkers so that consumers can enjoy eating and enjoying the fresh fruits, vegetables, and plants that grace our dinner tables. So, when I eat another colorful conference plated lunch tomorrow that includes several fruits and vegetables, I know that I have a farmer and/or farmworker to thank for the food on my table and in my stomach.
Yesterday was the last day at the annual Vermont Farm Show. AgrAbility had a booth as did Extension as a whole, so it was like old home day for a lot of us. The farm show gives folks an excuse to come out in the middle of winter and see what is new, what is old and true and attend annual association meetings. Yesterday was the Dairy Banquet and Maple before that and the political pull where state lawmakers compete milking a cow. There were llamas down stairs and some chickens. Other than that farm product is limited to jams, jellies, maple and the like.
There were nearly 300 entries for the raffle that RAVR and AgrAbility did and 49 requests for more information. We all made bunches of contacts and I will be heading out to visit all sorts of farms in the next couple of weeks; some small fiber flocks with a couple of sheep and the like as well large belted Galloway beefers. How much fun is that!
The drive home from the show was just horrible though with white out conditions all along route 89 and route 12 heading back to Morrisville. I creeped along, like many of my coworkers with flashers on going just as carefully as possible. No one really likes the interstate with white out conditions. We all made it home safely and the emails today all comment about the winter weather.
Today the sun is back out, the temperature is a seasonal 5 degrees with windchill temperatures below zero. Yup, winter is back in action.
Farm Show come and gone, the January thaw over and spring right around the corner.
We like the snow here in Vermont, especially in January. Our economy depends on it and we need the snow cover to act as insulation against the frost going deep down, potentially ruining spring crops and freezing pipes. Plus snow cover everywhere is simply the way Vermont should look in the winter. Rain and 50 degrees…. not so much, especially if you know that the temperatures are gonna drop and when they do there will be black ice, icy driveways, and slip hazards everywhere. 
It started off the other night with heavy rains that had moved across the country and dumped buckets on us, melting and sloshing up all the roads, creating heavy fog and deadly road conditions. More rain and really warm temperatures the next day and the fields grew bare. By mid-day yesterday you would have thought it was April.
Rivers rise fast with heavy rains during a thaw and ice jams can cause serious issues on farm land adjacent to riverways. Yesterday, heading out to the Northeast Kingdom, the Lamoille River was raging and the ice jam had broken the night before, with the tell-tale chunks of ice several feet about water level. Ice chunks, dirty and out-of-place, were littered on low-lying fields. Not pretty at all.
By the time the afternoon had rolled around, the temperature had begun plummet and heading back over RT. 12 to Elmore, the roads were once again covered with snow. Dangerous as all get out, as you don’t see the ice under the snow, making driving all the more dicey.
The only thing to do really is listen to the advisories on the weather/news channels and drive according to the conditions of the road. If the conditions have worsened, then perhaps staying home is the best bet. This morning, everything is all white again and the forecast is for snow. Beautiful white snow.
There is enough snow now to go riding, pretty much anywhere in Vermont, and many folks have. But this year VT has seen a spike in snow machine accidents, with the media reporting 6 fatalities in Vermont and an additional 3 in neighboring states. Some of the accidents were caused by speed, some by combining alcohol with riding and three tragically due to traveling over ice that did not hold.
The Vermont Association of Snow Travelers and the Vermont State Police are urging riders to stay safe by following some basic safety rules and by knowing the law.
You can also join a local club and take safety courses to brush up on your safety awareness. Anyone born after July 1983 is required by law to take a safety class and can find locations for these classes on the VAST website.
Dressing for the right weather is important as well. No one is having any fun if their feet or hands are cold. In addition to what is required by law for head protection, it is important to have clothes that keep you warm during your entire ride.
Riding is fun and great winter activity for folks of all ages. Hope to see you out there keeping safe!
heating vent now clear from snow
Winter time snow is here and the drifts are piling up all around the house. Snow drifts can make everything a little more difficult, from the walkways to the woodpile. Snow drifts and deep snow can also clog up and cover over exhaust pipes and without proper ventilation, CO or Carbon Monoxide can back up into the home or garage and can be lethal.
According to George Cook, Farm safety specialist and 43 year volunteer fire fighter, “Anything that is carbon based and burned creates carbon monoxide.” carbon monoxide poisoning is a serious matter and knowing to clear all outside vents after a heavy snow is an important step to keeping safe.
Carbon Monoxide is an odorless, colorless gas and the symptoms of Carbon Monoxide poisoning often mimic symptoms of illness.
The most common symptoms are:
headache, dizziness, weakness, nausea,vomiting. chest pain and confusion.
If everyone in the family comes down with these symptoms all at the same time and in a short period while being inside, then think CO. The best protection for your family is to install a battery operated CO detector and to check or replace the battery two times a year. A good reminder is to do it when you change the clocks in the spring and the fall. Secondly, when you are out shoveling the walkway, make it a practice to check your heating vents and keep them clear as well.
The sad thing about CO poisoning is that we are reminded every year with TV and Radio announcements, but we hear the warnings and then go about our business. Then we hear or read about some family that was killed in a CO poisoning accident. Lets just take a few minutes, now that you have read this whole blog, to think about what you have to do at home remember to keep safe with the winter snow. And while we are shoveling out our own vents, maybe taking a moment to help shovel out an elderly neighbor that might just need the help.
Holiday Break is happening at UVM Extension and the office is really quiet today. There is a good-sized storm happening outside with a Nor’ Easter heading this way over the New Years. Vermont, like much of the Nation is under the gun of bad weather and holiday traveling. The State Police said today that if you didn’t have to travel, you should just stay home.
But if you do have to go out here are the basic reminders for a safe trip.
1. Dress for the weather. It is cold and hats, gloves and boots will help to keep you warm if you get stuck somewhere.
2. Make sure the car or truck has plenty of fuel, and fill up at the half way mark, - letting the tank run low.
3. Have a blanket, shovel and flashlight in the car or truck for just-in-case.
4. Make sure the tires are fully inflated and the tread is good for snow.
5. take your time and allow for slow travel.
6. get a highway update if possible to see where trouble spots might be.
Hope everyone has a happy and safe holiday season. See you in 2010!
Arthur Meade, over at Winding Brook Farm in Morrisville is a sheep, goat, beef, poultry farmer that sells his product to veunes all over the state and at Farmer’s market. He is member of the Vermont Fresh Network and a strong supporter of the locavores movement.
Art is also a pretty busy guy, and with all of the recent winter weather and snow, it is not unusual to see him plowing snow around with his tractor. I was not surprised when I got a call at 6:15 am the other morning from Art telling me that he had managed to get the sheep out of the upper pasture on Stagecoach Rd. Snow fell late this year and he was able to keep the flock out longer then usual.
What came next really surprised me though, “Hey Ms. Farm Safety Person, I got my ROPS on the tractor too, you should come over and see for yourself!”
I jumped at the opportunity and asked if I could bring my colleague Matt Myers with me. He is the Roll Over Protection Retrofit Program Coordinator for Extension and will be helping Vermont farmers over the next couple of years retrofit their tractors. Meeting Art is a good field introduction.
Art had taken the ROPS off a couple of years ago so that he could move the tractor in and out of his barn, in the low sections. He just didn’t get round to putting back on. Art claims that my farm safety visits were enough “encouragement” for him to actually figure out a system for cleaning the low roof sections of the barn using his rental Bobcat. So after a years worth of seeing him at farmer’s market, seeing him around the community and on his farm, he put the ROPS back on.
He and Matt talked for a while about the process and the program while I snapped up photos. We were invited back this coming week to see the other farm safety adjustments Art has made over the year.
Sometimes it is all about the relationship you build with the folk you work for, even if they do call you out of work hours to tell you of a success.
About 20 people participated in the Stress Management for Ag Professionals Seminar, sponsored by Vermont AgrAbility and Rural and Ag VocRehab at the University of Vermont Davis Center; identifying stressful feelings and situations, learning self-help techniques, and practicing stress relieving exercises.
Eric C. Nichols, Ph.D, Licensed Psychologist and Retired Extension Faculty Emeritus, facilitated a three-hour seminar for Extension ag professionals, and agricultural lenders focusing on: the challenges outreach specialists encounter working in stressful situations, self-care when work is taxing, discussion of specific case studies, identifying and addressing stress, depression, and potential suicidal intentions among customers, and practicing communication tools and relaxation exercises.
Some of the primary concerns of working with customers are:
- Where to meet; at their home/farm or in the office when stress is a concern.
- How to bring up difficult topics, such as, farm transition, changing business goals, family issues.
- How far to “push” a difficult discussion and stay focused on the key goals and topics in challenging conversations.
- How to make referrals to other programs and agencies that can help.
- How to help empower customers to take charge of their situations.
These questions stimulated a vibrant and well informed discussion among the group regarding what has been successful, support and encouragement to keep returning to the actual important issues, and working with the customer to help them develop their own solution given the best information available. With quiet expertise and practiced listening Dr. Nichols guided the group to use effective listening, reading between the lines to find the pertinent information and questions, and to bring calm concern and strategies to each meeting and dialog with customers.
Addressing self care when work is taxing included:
- Taking work home and “turning off the brain”
- Overwhelmed with demands on the job and at home
- Taking “down time” and time for healthy habits
- Setting personal limits
- Dealing with emotional reactions
It seemed simpler to list the personal stresses and challenges than to identify solutions. Dr. Nichols talked at length about the effects of stress on the body, mind, and relationships. Referencing the work of Martin Seligman and Jon Kabat-Zinn, about how people respond to stress and benefit from relaxation and stress management. The group discussed tricks and techniques they already use, learned from each other and the experts what more can be done. Following the work of Herbert Benson in Timeless Healing, Dr. Nichols led the group in a relaxation exercise. After the entire local fire department had passed by the building with full sirens and horns, a long deep peaceful period of silence surrounded the room and stress dissolved into relaxing quiet and deep breathing. The group recognized the simplicity and helpfulness of this exercise that can be done almost anywhere; in a private moment in a car (parked), at the office, on a plane, or at home – alone or in a group. It’s a matter of taking the time to step out of the moment to relax and regain perspective. Becoming refocused and energized to continue on with work and bringing our best into each in spite of the stress of others involved.
The seminar concluded with a meaningful conversation about identifying and responding to suicidal language or threats and a conversation about the actual words to say in emotional situations. As the participants moved on for their day many pleasantries, agreements to work more cooperatively, and recognitions of the excellent work that is being done were heard around the room.
Some comments from the seminar evaluation are: Watch out for No. 1; take care of me so I can be more effective in helping others, stress affects everyone, big decisions take a long time to make, Dr. Nichols is a very affective speaker. His teaching style allows one to absorb his very useful information; information that will remain with you for a very long time, and We all need to remember our colleagues are some of our most valuable resources; referrals help bring more assistance to our clients and also work to build closer working relationships with our peers.
More Stress Management for Ag Professionals workshops coming in January in Newport, St Albans, Middlebury, and Randolph. Call UVM Extension, Melissa Newland, for more information – 800-545-8920.
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George Cook
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