Emily is back from medical leave (hooray!) and she and Brad dig into an essential topic for every operation: emergency planning. You can’t predict every detail, but you can make the first decisions easier when seconds count.
What we cover:
- What an emergency plan is (and isn’t): a concise, written set of steps and key info you can default to under pressure.
- Start with a farm map: access routes, gates/fences, livestock locations, hazardous/flammable materials, and utility shutoffs.
- Make the red sheet easy to find: an emergency contact list (911 first), then vet, sheriff/emergency management, insurance, milk hauler, feed/suppliers, and owner/manager.
- Stock the right supplies: standard first-aid kits, a trauma kit with a tourniquet, and consider an AED; plan to keep kits replenished.
- Three scenario buckets to plan for:
- Shelter in place (blizzards, extended outages): backup power/fuel, blocked access routes, pared-down chore list, role assignments, keeping people safe.
- Evacuation (fire, flood, tornado damage): best escape routes for people/animals, which gates to open and in what order, a designated meeting point (and Plan B), and who calls whom.
- Medical emergencies (injury or health event): known conditions (EpiPens, diabetes, heart issues), where supplies/AED live, basic first-aid/CPR training, clear directions for EMS, and—on larger sites—who meets the ambulance at the road and whether a safe helicopter landing area exists.
- Mind the paperwork: review insurance coverage before you need it.
- Keep it simple and living: a few clear steps beat a thick binder no one reads.
Resources mentioned:
- University of Minnesota Extension: Operations contingency plan templates for livestock operations.
- Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN): disaster-specific farm resources.
- Cultivating Change Foundation (Emily & Joe Rand received the Cultivator of Change award).
- Save the date: Ag for All Conference for LGBTQ+ farmers, ag professionals, and allies — March 7, 2026, Waite Park/St. Cloud, MN.
Have questions, comments, or scathing rebuttals? Email TheMoosRoom@umn.edu
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Chapter markers (optional)
- 00:00 – Emily’s back! (and why breaks matter)
- 03:18 – Why farms need emergency plans
- 05:41 – What an emergency plan actually is
- 08:07 – How plans help when stress spikes
- 10:45 – Simple planning story (cats + hamper)
- 12:03 – What belongs in the plan (map, shutoffs, hazards)
- 15:11 – The red emergency contact list
- 19:06 – First-aid vs. trauma kits (tourniquets)
- 24:44 – Shelter-in-place: questions to answer
- 26:11 – Evacuation: routes, gates, meeting points
- 28:04 – Medical emergencies: AEDs, training, EMS access
- 32:35 – Keep it living, keep it simple
- 33:00 – Resources + wrap-up
Questions, comments, scathing rebuttals? -> themoosroom@umn.edu or call 612-624-3610 and leave us a message!
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