UNIVERSITY PARK, PA — Florence Becott Recently Appointed National Insurance Early Career Professor of Agricultural Safety and Health at Penn State Faculty of Agriculture. She will oversee safety and health research, extension and academic programs related to the agricultural and biorenewable industries.
Becot’s research and advocacy programs aim to understand and support farmers’ ability to meet their needs, with a focus on farmers’ health, safety, welfare and economic viability. In particular, she focuses on two of her themes that cross state, national, and international boundaries: the factors that shape the adoption of farm safety practices by farmers, and the relationship between farmers’ social and economic needs, social policy, and the survival of agriculture. focuses on interactions.
Her current project examines farmers’ access to medical care, health insurance, and child care. Mental health support for the agricultural sector. and the safety implications of automation in the dairy sector.
Becot will lead the agricultural safety and health program, leveraging his training and experience in interdisciplinary research and advocacy. Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering. This long-established program aims to identify and reduce safety hazards through engineering and educational approaches. The agricultural safety and health program’s primary areas of expertise include farm equipment and structures, animal handling, personal protective equipment, youth safety, injury and fatality monitoring, assistance, and education.
Becot brings a wealth of expertise and will strengthen the College of Agricultural Sciences and Penn State’s health and safety efforts. Suat IrmakProfessor and Head of Agricultural and Bioengineering.
“In addition to strong, nationally recognized traditional farm safety and health programs, her research explores how undervalued factors such as child care, medical care, and health insurance shape farmer capabilities.” “We will continue to contribute to the field of agricultural health and safety by investigating whether there is a willingness to adopt farm safety practices and seek medical care,” he said. “Furthermore, and very importantly, her research extends rural social science by examining the role of social policy in shaping farmers’ ability to withstand shocks and adapt to ongoing change.” will contribute to the field of
Becot earned a doctorate in environment and natural resources from The Ohio State University, specializing in rural sociology. He holds a master’s degree in community development and applied economics from the University of Vermont. She holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and social sciences from the University of Rennes 1, France. She joins Penn State with more than 12 years of experience as an associate research scientist at the National Center for Agricultural Medicine and a research specialist at the University of Vermont Rural Research Center.
She has authored or co-authored 37 peer-reviewed journal articles and 45 outreach publications, including research and policy briefs, reports, and case study profiles. As the principal investigator on the grant, Becot played an active role in the proposal’s success, with her securing $1.4 million and totaling $7.5 million.
Outside of academia, she has shared her work with a variety of audiences, including farmers and agricultural organizations, agricultural service providers, staff at the U.S. Commission on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, and President Joe Biden’s White House Special Assistant for Rural Policy. has been announced. She has served as an advisor and most recently as governor of Wisconsin.
Nationwide Insurance established the professorship in 2014 with a $1 million gift. This is the first endowed professorship of its kind at the university. The endowment provides resources for professorship holders to expand research, teaching or outreach activities, and best safety practices.
