Online hub provides families with interactive resources, tools and activities on farm safety

CALGARY, April 23, 2020 – Through their continued partnership, BASF Agricultural Solutions Canada (BASF) and the Canadian Agriculture Safety Association (CASA) have announced the digital expansion of farm safety resources for children. BASF has supported Safety Days^® for children in Canada for the last four years – a program that promotes farm education and safety for Canadian youth. With COVID-19 presenting new challenges, BASF and CASA have launched a new online platform to provide families with information, interactive resources and activities on farm safety.

“As we embark on the fifth year of our partnership with CASA, we are facing a new and unprecedented reality with COVID-19. We want to ensure we keep safety at the forefront,” said Wayne Barton, Manager of Research and Commercial Development, BASF Agricultural Solutions Canada. “With children at home due to indefinite school closures, we recognize that more kids will be involved in activities on the farm, while, at the same time, they won’t have the ability to participate in the typical in-person Safety Days that have occurred in previous years. Our new tool ensures children, parents and teachers still have access to the valuable farm safety information.”

Drownings and machine runovers and rollovers are the leading causes of farm-related injuries in children – with approximately five children lost to these injuries in Canada every year. Safety Days were established by the Progressive Agriculture Foundation (PAF) in 1995 to proactively teach children how to be safe on farms and prevent incidents before they occur. Since 2002, CASA in partnership with PAF, has welcomed more than 157,000 youth to 936 Safety Day events across the country. Customized to accommodate local farm needs, in-person Safety Days feature interactive stations on topics like sun safety, recognizing and avoiding chemical exposure and safe animal handling.

Many Safety Day events, which are typically held April through June, have been cancelled or postponed due to physical distancing as a result of COVID-19. The new online hub provides users with informative and engaging content. The family-friendly website is home to farm safety information and resources, colouring sheets, a grain safety game and video series on safety and health-related activities and demonstrations. The platform is available to all users as of April 23, 2020.

“The need to provide families with educational yet engaging content has never been more important,” said Marcel Hacault, Executive Director, Canadian Agricultural Safety Association. “Since many are unable to attend a Safety Day this spring, we want to bring farm safety information and resources to them. Our long-standing partnership with BASF enables us to reach rural communities across Canada, ensuring farm families continue to thrive and stay safe during these challenging times.”

For more information and to access child farm safety resources, please visit www.casa-acsa.ca/en/resources/for-kids. For more information on BASF Agricultural Solutions, please visit agsolutions.ca.

About BASF’s Agricultural Solutions division:
With a rapidly growing population, the world is increasingly dependent on our ability to develop and maintain sustainable agriculture and healthy environments. Working with farmers, agricultural professionals, pest management experts and others, it is our role to help make this possible. That’s why we invest in a strong R&D pipeline and broad portfolio, including seeds and traits, chemical and biological crop protection, soil management, plant health, pest control and digital farming. With expert teams in the lab, field, office and in production, we connect innovative thinking and down-to-earth action to create real world ideas that work – for farmers, society and the planet. In 2019, our division generated sales of €7.8 billion. For more information, please visit www.agriculture.basf.com or any of our social media channels.

About BASF
At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. More than 117,000 employees in the BASF Group work on contributing to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio is organized into six segments: Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions, Surface Technologies, Nutrition & Care and Agricultural Solutions. BASF generated sales of €59 billion in 2019. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchange in Frankfurt (BAS) and as American Depositary Receipts (BASFY) in the U.S. Further information at www.basf.com.

About the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association:
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 through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, a federal, provincial and territorial initiative and receives additional support from the agricultural and corporate sectors. For more information, visit www.casa-acsa.ca, find us on Facebook or LinkedIn or follow us on Twitter @planfarmsafety.

BASF Media Contact:
Tabetha Boot
Tel.: (403) 461-1253
Email: tabetha.boot@basf.com

CASA Media Contact:
Robin Anderson
Tel.: (877) 452-2272
Email: randerson@casa-acsa.ca