Web-based safety tool to make debut at Wisconsin
agritourism summit
The redesigned
“Integrating Safety into Agritourism” website (www.safeagritourism.org), with mobile-friendly checklists and virtual walkthroughs, will be
officially unveiled on Feb. 23 at the Wisconsin Agricultural Tourism
Association (WATA) Summit, Hotel Marshfield, Marshfield, Wis.
The website will be featured in a Summit workshop on
Emergency Response Planning led
by Marsha
Salzwedel, National Children’s Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and
Safety, part of the National Farm Medicine Center at Marshfield Clinic Research
Foundation. Other Summit topics will include Historic Agriculture, Social
Media, Marketing and Legislative Updates. The two-day Summit
(www.luv-r-ag.org)
begins on Feb. 22.
“This redesign reflects how farmers prefer to get their
information,” Salzwedel said. Farmers increasingly are using tablets and
smartphones, according to a Farm Journal Media survey of more than 1,000
producers. The survey indicated that by the end of 2016, 60 percent of farmers
will own tablets and nearly 90 percent will own smartphones.
Central Wisconsin developer Matt Pilz led the redesign. Pilz
brought special app development expertise to the project, having won three
grand prizes in 2013 Intel-sponsored worldwide competitions.
The work seems to have paid off. Here is feedback from
farmers and ag educators who pilot-tested www.safeagritourism.org.
- “I really like the flow, and it was easy for someone
like me to navigate and find what I was looking for.” - Tom Tweite,
Tweite’s Family Farm, Byron, Minn.
- “I did quite a bit of browsing and going through the
walkthroughs and checklists. It will be nice to be able to have this on a
portable device to take to the field. Can't wait.” - Dave Meuer, Meuer
Farm LLC, Chilton, Wis.
- “You make my work as an educator easy! I like this
easy to use format.” - Dora Ann Hatch, Agritourism Coordinator,
Louisiana State University
“Integrating Safety into Agritourism” features virtual
walkthroughs covering 15 key areas of agritourism including petting zoos, hand
washing/restrooms, large animal safety, farmers’ markets, food safety and more.
Farmers can access the mobile-friendly checklists on their tablets, fill them
out while walking their property, and then save the information for their
records. The website also contains information about insurance, along with
numerous print-ready resources such as signs, policies, logs and information
handouts – all available at no cost.
Additionally, the
website content was reviewed for compliance with Section 508 of the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Section 508 standards help ensure that all users,
regardless of disability status, can access the website content.
“I’ve worked a lot with farmers who offer agritourism
activities on their farms,” said Salzwedel. “One thing they all tell me is they
want their visitors to have fun – and be safe while they are doing it. This
newly designed website, with all its mobile friendly features, will make it
easier for farmers to implement the safety part. The fun part, well, that will
be up to them.”
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