The National Centre for Farmer Health has updated its Shifting Gears resources, providing teachers with a comprehensive suite of practical resources to emphasise the importance of farm health and safety in schools.
Shifting Gears is a teacher-led program aimed at fostering a culture of farm safety among young people especially those living on farms, studying agriculture and horticulture, or considering careers in these fields.
The program supports teachers to talk about farm safety by building their confidence in lesson planning, delivery and classroom discussions. This update has been made possible through $100,000 in funding from the Victorian Government’s Farming Safe and Well Program.
“By making farm safety information freely available to all Victorian teachers and schools we are investing in the safety of our children and young people now and into the future,” said Victorian Minister for Agriculture Ros Spence.
Farms present serious death and injury risks to young people as well as adults. Children under the age of 15 represent approximately 14% of all farm-related fatalities in Australia, and this rate has remained consistent for the past 20 years. Common farm hazards include dams, machinery and vehicles, as well as working with animals and agrichemicals.
The funding has allowed the Centre to support teachers in their delivery of Shifting Gears by way of a pre-recorded webinar and supplementary activity to complement existing materials.
Shifting Gears provides a practical way for teachers and schools to empower their students and make a lasting impact on farm safety education. The updated resources provide tailored, relatable and age-appropriate discussions and activities that relate to unique audio-visual materials and content designed to resonate with the Australian farming context.
The Centre’s Senior Lecturer/Researcher Dr Jacquie Cotton said Shifting Gears stands out by bridging the gap between agricultural studies and national skills programs, tailoring content to suit young people.
“Farms are a unique blend of homes and workplaces, and Shifting Gears takes a strong first step in changing young people’s attitudes towards farm safety by starting discussions in the classroom. We use role models to demonstrate what farm safety looks like and why it’s important, catering to a diverse range of learning types,” Dr Cotton said.
“Shifting Gears broadens young people’s understanding of agricultural injury within rural Australia. It helps to increase their awareness of farm hazards, and embrace a culture where health, wellbeing and safety is a priority for the next generation of farmers and ag industry members.”
Victorian teachers will have free access to the resources up to June 2026.
What’s new for Shifting Gears in 2025
- Downloadable PDF for flexible use, covering agricultural health statistics, agricultural exposure to hazards and agents of injury, the flow-on effect of poor farmer health, the hierarchy of controls, prevention strategies and more
- Documentary-style videos linking farm safety to human health with creative animations illustrating safety theories
- 13 classroom activities and discussions that are broadly aligned with the agricultural curriculum to engage and educate students.
The Shifting Gears resources are available to teachers for free. For more information on the program and to access the resources, visit farmerhealth.org.au/shifting-gears-2.
This program has been funded by through the Victorian Government’s Farming Safe and Well Program.
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For more information, please contact:
Dr Jacquie Cotton – Senior Lecturer/Researcher, National Centre for Farmer Health
P: 03 5551 8533 | M: 0409 287 497 | E: jacquie.cotton@wdhs.net
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