Viticultural Information

The Western Center for Agricultural Health and Safety was established in 1990 through a cooperative agreement with the National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health (NIOSH). The center is one of nine agricultural health and safety centers established in the United States by the Center for Disease Control for the purpose of protecting and improving the health and safety of the nation's farmers, farmworkers, and consumers. California is the leading agricultural state in the country, consuming and exporting a range and multitude of products. Together with the other Western states, California is also home to a number of types of farms, from family businesses to corporate megadairies, all of which employ family members, farmworkers, and laborers from many countries and cultures.

Director Dr. Marc Schenker heads up an interdisciplinary team of investigators who collaborate on scientific studies of the challenging aspects of agriculture affecting health and safety.

The Western Center for Agricultural Health and Safety is a comprehensive, multidisciplinary program dedicated to the understanding and prevention of illness and injury in Western agriculture.

The Western Center for Agricultural Health and Safety has four major objectives:

• Conduct research related to the prevention of occupational disease and injury of agricultural producers, farmworkers and their families.
• Develop, implement and evaluate the educational and outreach programs for promoting health and safety for agricultural producers, farmworkers and their families.
• Develop, implement and evaluate model programs for the prevention of illness and injury among agricultural producers, farmworkers and their families.
• Develop linkages, communication and collaboration with other academic, governmental and non-governmental organizations involved in research and outreach on agricultural health and safety issues with special focus on communications with the affected populations themselves.

The center has benefited from its affiliation with the UC Davis Medical School and the Department of Public Health Sciences. Drawing on the resources of the University, the Center fosters the communication of ideas through a quarterly newsletter, monthly seminars and periodic conferences and presentations.

Elizabeth Noceti Didio
Educational and Outreach Specialist
Tel: (530) 754-8678
emnoceti@ucdavis.edu

Sandra Freeland
Center Manager
Tel: (530) 752-5253
slfreeland@ucdavis.edu

Marc Schenker, MD, MPH
Center Director
Tel: (530) 752-5676
mbschenker@ucdavis.edu

Webcasts of the 2006–07 UC Davis Western Center for Agricultural Health and Safety (WCAHS) monthly seminars are available at http://agcenter.ucdavis.edu/seminar/webcast.php.

Publications from the UC Davis Integrated Pest Management Pesticide Education Program:

• Fieldworkers and Pesticides: A Trainer's Manual, 2nd edition. Available in English and Spanish.
• The Illustrated Guide to Pesticide Safety. Available in English and Punjabi.
• Jorge's New Job: The Importance of Cholinesterase Testing.
• Pesticide Application Compendium
  - Volume 1: The Safe and Effective Use of Pesticides
  - Volume 2: Residential, Industrial and Institutional Pest Control
  - Volume 3: Wood Preservation
  - Volume 4: Forest and Right-of-Way Pest Control
• Pesticide Applicator Instructor's Handbook, 4th Edition. Available in English or Spanish.
• Pesticide Safety: A Reference Manual for Private Applicators.
• Pesticide Safety for Small Farms: A Grower's Guide to Pesticide Safety. Available in English, Hmong, Cambodian, and Lao.