Agricultural Safety Education: Formative Assessment of a Curriculum Integration Strategy.

The purpose of this study was to assess an agricultural tractor and machinery safety curriculum for teacher training that focused on hands-on integration activities to assist with training youth in machinery safety skills. Teachers attended a single ten-hour summer training seminar hosted in Montana, South Dakota, or Utah during 2017. Teachers completed the National Tractor and Machinery Safe Operation (NSTMOP) exam to measure their existing knowledge prior to beginning the training. Upon seminar completion, teachers took an NSTMOP post-test to measure their knowledge gain of agricultural safety practices and hazard recognition associated with machinery and tractors. A total of 116 teachers completed the training. Fifty-three participants (45.7%) identified as female, and 63 (54.3%) identified as male. The average participant was 35 years old (SD = 11.3) and had 9.5 years of teaching experience (SD = 9.2). The average NSTMOP pre-test score was 35.2 out of 48 (SD = 3.3), and the average NSTMOP post-test score was 40.3 out of 48 (SD = 4.1). Participants' scores increased by ten percentage points. A paired-samples t-test was used to determine statistical significance. The difference between pre-test and post-test was significant (t(109) = 11.9, p < 0.001). Open responses indicated continuation of hands-on activities that focused on "how to teach" skills training that is relevant to the students. Teachers suggested developing new activities each year with a rotation of topics for upcoming seminars. Research is needed to determine the training's influence on the behaviors of young workers in agriculture.

Compliance with the North American Guidelines for Children's Agricultural Tasks (NAGCAT) work practice recommendations for youth working with large animals.

The North American Guidelines for Children's Agricultural Tasks (NAGCAT) were developed to reduce the risk of childhood agricultural injury. The purpose of this study was to evaluate compliance with NAGCAT-recommended work practices (WPs) when youth work with large animals. On a daily basis, over a period of 10 weeks, youth self-reported the number of minutes they worked with a large animal and whether they followed the associated NAGCAT WP guidelines. Statistical analyses were conducted to compare boys to girls and to consider the effect of factors such as youth age, farm residence status, and selected parental characteristics. A high proportion of youth exhibited relatively low compliance for most of the five WPs evaluated. Respirators were rarely worn, but checking for people and obstacles in the area while working with large animals was commonly reported. In general, boys, especially the older boys, exhibited higher compliance than did girls. The results of our study demonstrate, in general, that youth are not following recommended NAGCAT WPs when working with large animals, identifying an area in agricultural safety and health requiring focused attention.

Compliance with NAGCAT work practices recommendations for youth cleaning service alleys in stall barns.

Unintentional injury is the leading cause of death in the U.S. among persons 1 to 44 years of age. Over one million children and adolescents in the U.S. live, work, and/or play on farms, where injury risk is relatively high compared to other settings. In an attempt to reduce the number of childhood agricultural injuries occurring on farms, the North American Guidelines for Children's Agricultural Tasks (NAGCAT) was developed to assist parents or other caregivers in assigning developmentally appropriate chores to youth exposed to agricultural hazards. The results presented here are from a longitudinal study in which we obtained (self-reported) daily chore, injury, and safety behavior data from children and adolescents. We focused on one NAGCAT chore, cleaning a service alley in a stall barn, in order to estimate the extent of compliance with specific work practice recommendations contained in the NAGCAT. Our results indicated that among the four NAGCAT-recommended safety practices for cleaning service alleys in stall barns (wearing nonskid shoes, leather gloves, a respirator, and eye protection), wearing non-skid shoes was the only safety practice reported with any degree of regularity. Overall, boys were more likely to wear non-skid shoes compared to girls. In addition, older youth were generally more likely to report higher work practice compliance compared to younger youth.

Injury-related childhood mortality in migrant households in a southern city of China.

BACKGROUND: Sporadic evidence from China suggests that migrant children are at higher risk of injury-related mortality than local indigenous children. METHODS: Child deaths from 2004 to 2008 were provided by the Shenzhen Women and Child Health Surveillance System. Population data for children 1-4 years old were obtained from the Shenzhen Bureau of Statistics and number of live births was obtained from birth registration records. All-cause and injury-related childhood mortality rates and death causes were calculated and compared. RESULTS: A total of 3774 deaths were identified. All-cause mortality rates per 10,000 dropped significantly from 66.28 (95% CI 60.50 to 72.06) in infants (<1 year old) and 7.40 (95% CI 6.16 to 8.64) in early childhood (1-4 years old) in 2004 to 40.42 (95% CI 37.31 to 43.53) and 3.97 (95% CI 3.36 to 4.58) in 2008. However, injury-related mortality rates did not change significantly from 2.36 (95% CI 1.27 to 3.45) in infants and 2.97 (95% CI 2.19 to 3.76) in early childhood in 2004 to 2.00 (95% CI 1.31 to 2.69) and 2.00 (95% CI 1.56 to 2.43) in 2008. Injury-related mortality rates were significantly higher among migrant children (p<0.05). Drowning and traffic crashes were the top two causes of early childhood injury deaths; suffocation was the leading cause of infant injury deaths. CONCLUSION: Migrant children were at significantly higher risk of injury-related mortality than local indigenous children. Injury prevention in Shenzhen should target drowning and traffic safety among young children and suffocation among infants as top priorities.

Pesticide poisoning and respiratory disorders in Colorado farm residents.

Respiratory hazards significantly contribute to the burden of occupational disease among farmers. Pesticide exposure has been linked to an increased prevalence of respiratory symptoms in several farming populations. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between respiratory symptoms and pesticide poisoning in a cross-sectional survey of farm residents. A total of 761 farm operators and their spouses, representing 479 farms in northeastern Colorado, were recruited from 1993 to 1997. A personal interview asked whether the resident had experienced a pesticide poisoning and several respiratory conditions including cough, allergy, wheeze, and organic dust toxic syndrome (ODTS). Spirometry testing was performed on 196 individuals. Logistic regression was used to model the association of pesticide poisoning with respiratory conditions, and linear regression was used to model the relationship of pesticide poisoning and forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume (FEV1). In unadjusted models, pesticide poisoning was associated with all four respiratory conditions, and stayed significant in adjusted models of allergies and cough in non-smokers. In age- and gender-adjusted models, pesticide poisoning was significantly associated with lower FVC and FEV1 in current smokers and in those who were not heavy drinkers. Although this study should be reproduced in a larger sample, it suggests that further evaluation of the respiratory effects of pesticide exposure is warranted.

Non-fatal injury rates among the "left-behind children" of rural China.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate patterns of non-fatal unintentional injuries among "left-behind children" in Macheng, China. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in September and October, 2006. Age-specific and sex-specific injury rates were calculated. RESULTS: 3019 students were interviewed in six schools. Of these, 1182 were identified as "left-behind"; 62.3% had both parents away from home, and 37.7% had one parent away from home. The annual injury rate per 1000 among left-behind children was more than twice that of children living with both parents: 252.9 (95% CI 233.0 to 273.0) and 119.8 (95% CI 105 to 134), respectively. Male left-behind children had the highest annual injury rate: 316.4 (95% CI 295 to 338) per 1000. The three leading external causes of injury were similar for both groups of children: falls (33.8%); mechanical injuries (16.2%); and animal bites (14.5%).The location where injuries occurred were home (32.0%), school (26.0%) and roadways (23.9%) for left-behind children. There were no significant associations between the identified guardian and injury mechanism. CONCLUSIONS: A large proportion of students in the schools of rural Macheng are left-behind children. Left-behind children have a higher injury rate than those in the care of both parents. This may be important in the development of injury prevention strategies in rural communities in China.

Farm work-related injury among middle school students in rural China.

Farm work-related injuries are considered an important issue facing rural area adolescents. However, little research has been done in developing countries, including China. This study evaluated agricultural work-related injuries among Chinese middle school adolescents, focusing on the potential association between farm work hours, sleep patterns, school-related stress, and farm work-related injuries. This cross-sectional study surveyed 1,551 middle school students in Hunan Province who reported working on farms. The surveys assessed their involvement in farm work, sleep patterns, school activities, and farm work-related injuries during a three-month recall period. The cumulative incidence of farm work-related injury was 15.6% among the 1187 students who reported working on a farm. Average days per month farming, number of pesticide applications per month, sleep disturbances, and school-related stress were significantly associated with farm work-related injuries (p < 0.05). Multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that after adjusting for possible confounding effects of age, gender, and farm work days per month, sleep disturbance (less than 7 hours of sleep: OR = 2.36, 95% CI = 1.07-5.22; awakening at night and having trouble falling back to sleep: OR = 2.70, 95% CI = 1.36-5.37; having nightmares: OR = 2.24, 95% CI = 1.18-4.24) and school-related stress (difficult homework: OR = 2.45, 95% CI = 1.21-4.99; extra homework assigned often by parents: OR = 3.62, 95% CI = 1.88-6.97; and scolded/chastised by parents for poor school performance: OR = 2.53, 95% CI = 1.75-3.65) were statistically significant risk factors for farm work-related injuries (p < 0.05).

Depression and somatic symptoms within the farming community.

The relationship between somatic symptoms and depression was investigated in a population of farm operators and their spouses. The sample consisted of principal farm operators and their spouses from northeastern Colorado. There were a total of 709 participants who completed data relevant for our analyses. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted on the symptom inventory, and suggested a two-factor structure. One of the factors consisted of symptoms of a psychological nature, and the other consisted of physical symptoms. While both of the factors were significantly correlated with depression, the factor with psychological items was more strongly related to depression. Gender differences in the symptom factor structure were investigated, and only a few minor differences were found. Gender differences in relationships between the somatic symptom factors and depression were also investigated and were not found. Implications for farm operators, spouses, and rural healthcare providers were discussed.

Comparisons of Colorado women's cancer screening practices by residence: metropolitan, non-metropolitan, and farm.

Combining farm residents and non-farm rural residents into a single category designated as rural may obscure differences in preventive care utilization, including cancer screening practices in each group, because of distinctive characteristics of farmers. This study compared three cancer screening practices (mammography, breast physical examination, and Pap smears) across three residence groups (metropolitan, non-metropolitan, and farms) of Colorado women and described demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of the groups. Females interviewed in the 1993 Colorado Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) were divided into residence as metropolitan or non-metropolitan. Farm residents were female respondents interviewed as part of the Colorado Farm Family Health and Hazard Survey (CFFHHS) conducted in 1993-1997. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to determine characteristics related to the screening practices. Farm women were more likely to be non-Hispanic white and older, to report their health as very good, and to have medical insurance and at least one source of primary care compared to non-metropolitan women. After controlling for related variables, residence was not associated with the screening practices, with the exception of breast physical examination; farm women were less likely to have a recent examination than metropolitan women (OR = 1.50, 95% CI = 1.07-2.10). When non-metropolitan and farm women were combined, there was no association between residence and having had a physical breast examination. There were important differences between non-metropolitan women and farm women in demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, which influenced screening practices. Further studies are needed to examine farm residents' cancer screening practices separately from other rural residents in order to fully understand the implications of these differences for health status in other geographic areas.

Non-fatal injuries among adults with activity limitations and participation restrictions.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate non-fatal unintentional injuries among adults with activity/participation limitations. DESIGN: Injuries in the previous 12 months were reported by a stratified probability sample of non-institutionalized adults. Based on self reported activity/participation limitations, 2602 respondents were classified into three groups (no limitations, moderate limitations, and severe limitations) and injury characteristics were compared. RESULTS: A total of 19.2% of respondents reported activity/participation limitations. Twenty four percent (95% confidence intervals (CI) 14.5% to 33.6%) with severe and 17.8% (95% CI 13.2% to 22.4%) with moderate limitations were injured, compared with 12.6% (95% CI 10.6% to 14.7%) of respondents without limitations. The odds ratio of injury was 3.72 (95% CI 1.94 to 7.14) for respondents with severe and 1.87 (95% CI 1.25 to 2.77) for respondents with moderate limitations. The leading cause of injuries among respondents with activity/participation limitations was falls. CONCLUSIONS: Individuals with activity/participation limitations are at an increased risk for injuries.

Downhill skiing injury fatalities among children.

OBJECTIVE: Young skiers are at increased risk for injury, however, epidemiological data on skiing related fatal injuries among child skiers are scarce. This study aimed to provide information needed to develop injury control and prevention programs. DESIGN AND SETTING: Study subjects came from Colorado, USA and were identified using a death certificate based surveillance system. Fatal injuries were limited to events that occurred at established commercial ski resorts in Colorado, and subjects were classified as child skiers (0-17 years) or adult skiers (> or =18 years). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Type and external cause, time, and week day of injury, gender and residency of the decedents. RESULTS: During the study period from 1980-2001, 149 fatal injuries associated with downhill skiing were identified; 21 (14.1%) occurred among child skiers aged < or =17 years. The age of the youngest decedent was 7 years. In females the proportion of fatal injuries among child skiers was nearly three times that of adults. Traumatic brain injuries were the leading cause of death (67% of all deaths) among children, while multiple internal injuries and traumatic brain injuries accounted for almost equal proportions of fatal injuries among adults. Collision was the leading external mechanism of fatal injuries, accounting for more than two thirds of fatal injuries in both child and adult skiers. CONCLUSIONS: Traumatic brain injury was the leading cause and collision was the leading external injury mechanism of fatal injuries associated with downhill skiing among child skiers. This underscores the importance of brain injury prevention strategies, including the use of ski helmets and prevention of collisions on ski slopes.

Comparison of urban and rural non-fatal injury: the results of a statewide survey.

OBJECTIVES: This study compared the epidemiology of non-fatal injury among urban and rural residents of Colorado. DESIGN: A stratified probability sample with random digit dial methods was used to survey Colorado residents by telephone regarding injuries experienced in the last 12 months. Questions on the cause of the injury, the activity at the time of the injury, and the place of injury were based on the Nordic Medico Statistical Committee's (NOMESCO) classification of external causes of injuries. SUBJECTS: A total of 1425 urban and 1275 rural Colorado residents aged 18 and older were interviewed. RESULTS: Age, gender, marital status, and rural residency were found to increase the odds of self reported injury. The adjusted odds ratio for self reported injury was 1.3 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.01 to 1.68) for rural compared with urban residents. Rural residence (odds ratio 1.02, 95% CI 0.51 to 7.01) was not a risk factor for injury among the highest risk group, those who were single and never married. No differences in injury characteristics were found by urban-rural status. CONCLUSIONS: The increased odds of self reported injury among rural residents were not explained by differences in the causes of injury or other injury characteristics. The differences in the importance of rural residence in increased odds of injury by marital status warrants further understanding and may be important in the development of injury prevention programs. Based on comparison with a similar survey, the NOMESCO coding system appears to be a viable alternative survey tool for gathering information on injury characteristics.

Farm work practices and farm injuries in Colorado.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: s: To describe the farm work patterns and the relationship between hours spent working on specific farm tasks and task specific work related injuries among women and men. DESIGN: A cross sectional survey of farm operators and their spouses in an eight county area of Colorado was conducted. Personal interviews were conducted between 1993 and 1997. Interviews took between 45 minutes to two hours to complete, depending on the complexity of individuals' personal histories. Farms were selected using stratified random sampling technique. SETTING: Eight counties in Northeastern Colorado representing 47% of agricultural production in the state. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 301 women and 459 men who were farm residents and involved in farm work were recruited. OUTCOME MEASURE: Self reported injuries resulting in medical attention or treatment other than first aid, or inability to do normal work activities, or loss of consciousness, or transfer to another job were assessed in relationship to the specific job task being performed at the time of the injury. RESULTS: Women were at higher risk for injury than men when involved with other farm chores (rate ratio 8.18). For all other task related injuries, men and women were at similar risk when compared using hours of exposure to the farm tasks. CONCLUSION: Farm safety training and injury prevention programs need to include women working on farms.

Development of a life events/icon calendar questionnaire to ascertain occupational histories and other characteristics of migrant farmworkers.

BACKGROUND: Specialized methods are necessary to collect data from migrant farmworkers for epidemiologic research. METHODS: We developed a questionnaire that collected lifetime occupational histories and other lifestyle risk factors via a life events/icon calendar, and administered the questionnaire to a convenience sample of 162 migrant farmworkers in nine areas of the U.S. RESULTS: The average duration of the interviews was about 1 h 30 min, with an average of 45 min for the work history section. The occupational histories covered a median of 27.6 years per person for men and 20.8 years per person for women. The median number of years spent in farm jobs was 11.3 for men and 5.8 for women. The median number of farm jobs (crop/task combination) per person was 59 among men and 27 among women. Many farmworkers performed the same crop/task combinations at multiple times throughout their lives, yielding a median of 13 unique farm jobs and 8 unique crops among men and 7 jobs and 5 crops among women. CONCLUSIONS: The project demonstrated that it is feasible to collect detailed work histories and other risk factor data from farmworkers, documented the complexity of work histories encountered among farmworkers, and yielded recommendations for refining a questionnaire that will facilitate future epidemiologic research on farmworkers.

Ascertainment of pesticide exposures of migrant and seasonal farmworker children: findings from focus groups.

BACKGROUND: To design questionnaires for epidemiologic research among children of migrant farmworkers, researchers need to consider ways to best solicit information about pesticide exposures. METHODS: Bilingual facilitators conducted five focus groups with either migrant farmworker mothers or their children (age range 8-16 years) in southern Texas and northeastern Colorado. Guided questions were used to assess activities of migrant farmworker children and the ways to best elicit information about exposure to pesticides. RESULTS: Participants reported a large number of activities that may potentially expose children to pesticides through both direct and indirect routes. Prompting, indirect questions about chemical use, and use of local and trusted facilitators increased information elicited from focus group participants. CONCLUSIONS: These focus groups helped to provide information for developing questionnaire items related to pesticide exposure among migrant farmworker children, and highlighted the importance of using bilingual community interviewers and including children as respondents.

Proportionate mortality among US migrant and seasonal farmworkers in twenty-four states.

BACKGROUND: US migrant and seasonal farmworkers may be exposed to potentially carcinogenic pesticides and other agents. Little epidemiologic research has been conducted on this population. METHODS: We examined the proportionate mortality of 26,148 subjects (14,631 white men (WM), 7,299 nonwhite men (NM), 1,081 white women (WW), and 3,137 nonwhite women (NW)) who were identified as farmworkers on death certificates from 24 US states during 1984-1993. RESULTS: Farmworkers had significantly elevated proportionate mortality from injuries, tuberculosis, mental disorders, cerebrovascular disease, respiratory diseases, ulcers, hypertension (NW), and cirrhosis (NW). There was significantly reduced mortality from infectious diseases (other than tuberculosis), endocrine disorders, nervous system diseases, pneumoconioses, arteriosclerotic heart disease (WM), and all cancers combined. Proportionate cancer mortality analyses found excess cancers of the buccal cavity, larynx, esophagus, stomach, skin (NW), and cervix, and deficits for cancers of the colon, breast, kidney, pancreas (NW), and lymphohematopoietic system. CONCLUSIONS: The excess deaths from injuries, respiratory disease, and stomach cancer, and the deficits of colon cancer and arteriosclerotic heart disease among farmworkers, are consistent with typical mortality patterns previously observed among farm owner/operators. The excess buccal, laryngeal, esophageal, and cervical cancers, and the deficits of breast cancer and lymphohematopoietic cancers have not generally been observed in studies of farm owner/operators.

Acute respiratory effects and endotoxin exposure during wheat harvest in Northeastern Colorado.

Acute cross-shift respiratory changes were evaluated for workers at 25 farms in northeastern Colorado during the summer of 1994 wheat harvest. Information on workers' respiratory health, past occupational exposures, and smoking status was obtained. Each worker was asked to rank eight acute symptoms before he or she began harvest work for the day. Spirometry was also performed before work began. Each participant wore a high-flow personal air sampling pump for the full shift. At the end of the workshift, spirometry and ranking of the eight acute symptoms were conducted again. Total dust exposure was determined gravimetrically. Total endotoxin was measured by the Limulus amoebocyte lysate (LAL) assay. The 98 harvest workers included in the study ranged in age from 18 to 80. Ten percent of the workers had moderate airway obstruction, as indicated by the pre-shift spirometry test results. Fifty percent of the workers were current or ex-smokers. Despite an unusually poor harvest, total dust exposures ranged from 0.09 to 15.33 mg/m3 (geometric mean 0.83 mg/m3), with 8 percent of workers exposed above the American Conference of Government Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) threshold limit value (TLV) of 4 mg/m3. Total endotoxin exposures ranged from 4.4 to 744.4 EU/m3 (geometric mean 54.2 EU/m3), with 33 percent of workers exposed above 90 EU/m3, the level suggested as a threshold for acute mucous membrane irritation and pulmonary change among cotton workers. Sixty percent of workers experienced a cross-shift change in at least one respiratory symptom. The respiratory index (sum of cross-shift changes in the eight acute respiratory symptoms) was significantly correlated with both total dust and endotoxin exposure. Cross-shift changes in the spirometric variables were associated with smoking status, age, presence of airway obstruction, and history of chronic respiratory symptoms, but not with dust or endotoxin exposure. Peak expiratory flow rate was found to decrease over the workshift in a manner similar to that experienced by cotton workers.

Agricultural work-related injuries among farmers in Hubei, People's Republic of China.

OBJECTIVES: This population-based study evaluated patterns of and risk factors for, agricultural injuries among farmers in the People's Republic of China. METHODS: A multistage sample of 1500 Chinese farmers was selected from 14 villages. Face-to-face interviews with 1358 farmers were conducted between July 1997 and September 1997 (response rate = 91%). Agricultural work-related injuries that occurred in the previous 24 months and the associated factors were evaluated. RESULTS: A total of 33% of the farmers reported at least 1 work-related injury in the 24 months before the survey. Major external causes of the injuries were hand tools (50%), falls (26%), and heavy falling objects (10%). The statistically significant risk factors for injury were low family income, 1 to 6 school years of education, self-reported pesticide exposure, tension in relationships with neighbors, and stress in life. The most notable result was the relation between self-reported pesticide exposure and injury, with farmers with greater pesticide exposure at significantly greater risk for injury. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study indicated that injuries occurring among Chinese farmers may have unique patterns and potential risk factors.

The prevalence of depressive symptoms and risk factors among Iowa and Colorado farmers.

BACKGROUND: Farmers have been previously reported to have higher rates of depression and suicide compared to other occupations. Comparisons of depressive symptoms and risk factors for states should increase understanding of depression in farmers. METHODS: Representative samples of 385 Iowa and 470 Colorado male principal farm operators in the respective state Farm Family Health and Hazard Surveillance projects were evaluated for depressive symptoms by using the CES-D scale. Risk factors were determined by using weighted multiple logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: Iowa farmers were 1.74 times (P < 0.05) more likely to have had depressive symptoms than Colorado farmers. Being unmarried (odds ratio=3.46), having negative life events within the past year [legal problems (4.67), substantial income decline (2.71), loss of something of sentimental value (3.20)], and lower perceived general health status were risk factors (P < 0.05) for depressive symptoms for male Iowa and Colorado farmers. Higher levels of most risk factors for Iowa farmers, almost twice the frequency of substantial income decline, accounted for the majority of the difference in depressive symptoms between Iowa (12.2%) and Colorado (7.4%). CONCLUSIONS: Although Iowa farmers had 1.74 times higher level of depression symptoms than Colorado farmers, this difference was not significant after adjusting for the higher levels of most risk factors for Iowa farmers.

A geographic information assessment of birth weight and crop production patterns around mother's residence.

A landscape approach using remote sensing (RS) and geographic information system (GIS) technologies was developed to identify the proximity of maternal residence to agricultural areas, and the association between crop production patterns around mothers residences and low birth weight was evaluated. Satellite data obtained for Weld County, Colorado, in 1991 and 1993 were digitally processed to generate crop location maps for this study. GIS procedures were then used to determine crop types within 300- and 500-m circular zones around mothers' homes for 125 births that occurred from 1991 to 1993 in the study area. The relationships between different crop patterns around the mothers' residences and the birth weight of babies were investigated while controlling for potential confounding variables. The results indicated that low birth weight was associated with total crop production area within a 300-m buffer zone around mothers' residences (P=0.058). When each of the study crops was considered separately, low birth weight was associated with sugar beet production (P=0.05) and corn production (P=0.1) within both the 300- and the 500-m buffer zones. This RS/GIS approach provides clues to the potential relationships between birth weight and crop production near the residence.