Growing Safely - Farm Emergency Preparedness Plan

Before a Disaster or Emergency

• Know the warning signals for your area.
  • Learn the warning systems for your community.
• Are you able to hear or see the appropriate warning from your farm?
• Stay alert for emergency broadcasts.
• Emergency Alert System broadcasts on radio or television
• NOAA weather radio alerts
• News sources – radio, television, internet
• Put together an emergency supply kit for your family.
  • See an example of an emergency kit here
• Draw a farm site map and indicate:
  • Buildings and structures
  • Access routes (e.g., roads, lanes)
  • Barriers (fences, gates)
  • Locations of livestock o Locations of all hazardous substances
  • Electrical shutoff locations, etc.
• Make a list of your farm inventory, include:
  • Livestock (species, number of animals)
  • Crops (acres, type)
  • Machinery and equipment (make, model #)
  • Hazardous substances (e.g., pesticides, fertilizers, fuels, medicines, other chemicals)
• Keep a list of emergency phone numbers.
  • Your local and state veterinarian
  • County extension service
  • Local emergency management
  • Insurance agent
• Stockpile supplies needed to protect the farm:
  • Sandbags and plastic sheeting, in case of flood
  • Wire and rope to secure objects
  • Lumber and plywood to protect windows
  • Extra fuel for tractors and vehicles
  • Hand tools for preparation and recovery
  • Fire extinguishers in all barns and all vehicles
  • A safe supply of food to feed livestock
  • A gas powered generator
• Identify areas (e.g., higher elevation) to relocate your assets, if needed.
  • Livestock and horses
  • Equipment
  • Feed, grain, hay
  • Agrochemicals (pesticides, herbicides)
• Prepare farm employees.
  • Keep them informed of the farm’s emergency plan; review it with them regularly.
  • Identify shelter-in-place or evacuation locations.
  • Establish a phone tree with contact information for all employees.

For More Information
Visit https://www.nal.usda.gov/
Development of this educational material was by the Center for Food Security and Public Health with funding from the Multi-State Partnership for Security in Agriculture – MOU-2010-HSEMD-004.

Farm Emergency Contact Form
General Preparedness

For more information and resources, see www.Prep4AgThreats.org.

You can also check out the Growing Safely Farm Emergency Preparedness video on the Monsanto Off-the-Job Safety YouTube Channel or watch the embedded video below.

Publication #: June 2010