Florence Becot, Ph.D.

Florence Becot, Ph.D.

  • Nationwide Insurance Early Career Professor
  • Agricultural Safety and Health Program Lead
251 Agricultural Engineering Building
Shortlidge Road
University Park, PA 16802

Areas of Expertise

  • Agricultural health and safety
  • Rural Sociology
  • Sociology of food and agriculture
  • Farm household’s social and economic needs
  • Social and agricultural policies
  • Community and economic development
  • Qualitative and quantitative research methods

Websites

Education

  • Ph.D., Environment and Natural Resources, Specialization in Rural Sociology, The Ohio State University, 2020
  • M.Sc., Community Development and Applied Economics, University of Vermont, 2013
  • Equivalent B.Sc., Economics and Social Sciences, University of Rennes 1, France, 2006

Research and outreach interests

Broadly speaking, my research and outreach program is intended to understand and support farm families’ ability to meet their needs with an emphasis on their health, safety, well-being, and economic viability. My work contributes to the field of agricultural health and safety by examining how under-appreciated factors such as childcare, health care, and health insurance shape farm families’ ability and willingness to adopt farm safety practices and seek medical care. My work contributes to the field of rural social sciences by examining the role of social policies in shaping farm families’ ability to withstand shocks and adapt to on-going changes. My approach is based on a sociological lens coupled with mixed-methods that integrate qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis techniques. Within Extension, my work cuts across the program areas of agricultural health and safety, farm business viability, family/food/communities, and community development.

I also leverage my training and experiences in interdisciplinary research and outreach work to lead the Agricultural Safety and Health Program (ASH) based in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering. ASH is a long-established program well-known for its emphasis on identifying and mitigating safety hazards through engineering and educational approaches. Key ASH program expertise areas include: Farm equipment and structure, animal handling, personal protective equipment, youth safety, and injury and fatality surveillance, outreach, and education.

Publications

North Central Region Household Data. NCR-Stat: Caregiving Survey, Inwood, S, Bednarik, Z, Becot, Florence, Caldera, S, Henning-Smith, C, Cohen, S, 2024

Navigating the Ethical and Methodological Dimensions of a Farm Safety Photovoice Project
Journal of Bioethical Inquiry, Becot, Florence A., Inwood, Shoshanah M., Buchanan, Elizabeth A., 2023

Lack of affordable childcare is hurting young farm families’ ability to grow their businesses – the US farm bill may finally offer some help, Inwood, S, Becot, Florence, 2023

Automation, Climate Change, and the Future of Farm Work: Cross-Disciplinary Lessons for Studying Dynamic Changes in Agricultural Health and Safety
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Comi, Matt, Becot, Florence, Bendixsen, Casper, 2023

Thinking the Future of Agricultural Worker Health on a Warming Planet and an Automating Farm
Journal of Agromedicine, Comi, Matt, Becot, Florence, 2023

Family farms: When working from home can put children at risk, Becot, Florence, Elliot, K, 2023

Childcare in Agriculture: Key for Children’s Safety and the Economic Viability of Farm and Ranch Businesses, Becot, Florence, Inwood, S, 2023

Questions to consider when starting the conversation about childcare in your farm family, Inwood, S, Becot, Florence, 2023

Building Brighter and Safer Agricultural Futures: Expanding Childcare in Rural America, Becot, Florence, Inwood, S, 2023

South Dakota Farmer Mental Health Assessment – Findings from the qualitative phase, Ruszkowski, S, Becot, Florence, Bjornestad, A, Smolski, A, Sundaram, M, Puthoff, D, 2023

Unmet childcare needs are pervasive issue on family farms but guidance largely absent from farm programming, Becot, Florence, Inwood, S, Rissing, A, 2023

Editorial: Safeguarding youth from agricultural injury and illness: international experiences
Frontiers in Public Health, Lee, Barbara C., Becot, Florence A., Bendixsen, Casper, Benny, Christopher, Lundqvist, Peter, Swenson, Andrea, Weichelt, Bryan, Franklin, Richard C., 2023

Investigating suicide in agriculture globally: A scoping review of methodological approaches and a roadmap for future research
Anthropological Notebooks, Becot, Florence A., Kohlbeck, Sara, Ruszkowski, Sarah, 2023

Childcare for farm families: A key strategy to keep children safe yet largely absent from farm programming
Frontiers in Public Health, Becot, Florence, Inwood, Shoshanah, Rissing, Andrea, 2022

Medical economic vulnerability: a next step in expanding the farm resilience scholarship
Agriculture and Human Values, Becot, Florence A., Inwood, Shoshanah M., 2022

Examining access to health insurance and health care along the life course to shed light on interactions between farm households’ social needs, social policy and the farm business
Sociologia Ruralis, Becot, Florence A., Inwood, Shoshanah M., 2022

Mental health in United States agricultural workers, Becot, Florence, 2022

Case study profile Series for 3 study states for CDC NIOSH funded “Linking Childcare to Farm Children Safety”, Becot, Florence, Inwood, S, 2022

Farmer Mental Health in the US Midwest: Key Informant Perspectives
Journal of Agromedicine, Henning-Smith, Carrie, Alberth, Andrew, Bjornestad, Andrea, Becot, Florence, Inwood, Shoshanah, 2022

Children, Work, and Safety on the Farm during COVID-19: A Harder Juggling Act
Journal of Agromedicine, Becot, Florence A., 2022

Pushing beyond boundaries as a pre-tenure rural sociologist who is not from around here
Agriculture and Human Values, Becot, Florence A., 2021

Family farms are struggling with two hidden challenges: health insurance and child care, Inwood, S, Rissing, A, Becot, Florence, 2021

Broadening our understanding of farm children’s risk exposure by considering their parents’ farming background
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Becot, Florence, Bendixsen, Casper, Barnes, Kathrine, Rudolphi, Josie, 2021

Offsetting the cost of community-supported agriculture (CSA) for low-income families: Perceptions and experiences of CSA farmers and members
Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems, Jilcott Pitts, Stephanie B., Volpe, Leah Connor, Sitaker, Marilyn, Belarmino, Emily H., Sealey, Amari, Wang, Weiwei, Becot, Florence, McGuirt, Jared T., Ammerman, Alice S., Hanson, Karla L., Kolodinsky, Jane, Seguin-Fowler, Rebecca, 2021

Financially able and willing to invest in food safety practices? The example of produce growers in New England states (USA)
Food Control, Becot, Florence, Parker, Jason, Conner, David, Pivarnik, Lori, Richard, Nicole, Wright-Hirsch, Diane, 2021

The case for integrating household social needs and social policy into the international family farm research agenda
Journal of Rural Studies, Becot, Florence A., Inwood, Shoshanah M., 2020

Balancing social values with economic realities: Farmer experience with cost-offset community supported agriculture
Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, Sitaker, Marilyn, McCall, Mackenzie, Belarmino, Emily H., Wang, Weiwei, Kolodinsky, Jane, Becot, Florence, McGuirt, Jared T., Ammerman, Alice S., Jilcott Pitts, Stephanie B., Seguin-Fowler, Rebecca A., 2020

A modified choice experiment to examine willingness to participate in a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program among low-income parents
Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems, McGuirt, Jared T., Jilcott Pitts, Stephanie B., Hanson, Karla L., Demarco, Molly, Seguin, Rebecca A., Kolodinsky, Jane, Becot, Florence, Ammerman, Alice S., 2020

2015-2020 Mini-Grants Summary: Internal Report, Becot, Florence, Salzwedel, M, 2020

Counting local food consumption: Longitudinal data and lessons from Vermont
Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, Conner, David, Kahler, Ellen, Claro, Jake, Becot, Florence, Harlow, Annie, 2020

Can a shift in the purchase of local foods by Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients impact the local economy?
Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems, Becot, Florence A., Sitaker, Marilyn, Kolodinsky, Jane M., Morgan, Emily H., Wang, Weiwei, Garner, Jennifer, Ammerman, Alice, Jilcott Pitts, Stephanie, Seguin, Rebecca A., 2020

Growing apples for the cider industry in the US northern climate of Vermont: Does the math add up?
Acta Horticulturae, Becot, F., Bradshaw, T. L., Conner, D., 2020

Health Care and Health Insurance Access for Farm Families in the United States during COVID-19: Essential Workers without Essential Resources?
Journal of Agromedicine, Becot, Florence, Inwood, Shoshanah, Bendixsen, Casper, Henning-Smith, Carrie, 2020

Rural Telehealth Use during the COVID-19 Pandemic: How Long-term Infrastructure Commitment May Support Rural Health Care Systems Resilience
Journal of Agromedicine, Meyer, Chris, Becot, Florence, Burke, Rick, Weichelt, Bryan, 2020

Health insurance options for farm families during COVID-19, Becot, Florence, 2020

The Status and Changing Face of Ohio Agriculture: Summary of Ohio Farm Trends 1997–2017, Becot, Florence, Inwood, S, Jackson-Smith, D, Katchova, A, 2020

Responding to crisis: Farmer mental health programs in the extension north central region
Journal of Extension, Inwood, Shoshanah, Becot, Florence, Bjornestad, Andrea, Henning-Smith, Carrie, Alberth, Andrew, 2019

“I Am Not a Tractor!: How Florida Farmworkers Took on the Fast Food Giants and Won”, by Susan L. Marquis
Agriculture and Human Values, Becot, Florence, 2019

Farm households’ health insurance coverage and costs, Becot, Florence, Inwood, S, 2019

Health Insurance & Farm Risk management: Farm households & Farm Employees, Becot, Florence, Inwood, S, 2019

Gaining and maintaining a competitive edge: Evidence from CSA members and farmers on local food marketing strategies
Sustainability, Morgan, Emily H., Severs, Michelle M., Hanson, Karla L., McGuirt, Jared, Becot, Florence, Wang, Weiwei, Kolodinsky, Jane, Sitaker, Marilyn, Pitts, Stephanie B.Jilcott, Ammerman, Alice, Seguin, Rebecca A., 2018

Small-and medium-scale new England produce growers’ knowledge, attitudes and implementation of on-farm food safety practices
Food Protection Trends, Pivarnik, Lori F., Richard, Nicole L., Wright-Hirsch, Diane, Becot, Florence, Conner, David, Parker, Jason, 2018

“Singlewide: Chasing the American dream in a rural trailer park”, by Sonya Salamon and Katherine MacTavish
Rural Sociology, Becot, Florence, 2018

Questions to consider when starting the conversation in your family about health insurance and risk management, Inwood, S, Becot, Florence, 2018

10 Essential Benefits to look for in a plan, Inwood, S, Becot, Florence, 2018

Health insurance: get ready for open enrollment this fall, Inwood, S, Becot, Florence, 2018

Farm Fresh Foods for Healthy Kids (F3HK): An innovative community supported agriculture intervention to prevent childhood obesity in low-income families and strengthen local agricultural economies
BMC Public Health, Seguin, Rebecca A., Morgan, Emily H., Hanson, Karla L., Ammerman, Alice S., Jilcott Pitts, Stephanie B., Kolodinsky, Jane, Sitaker, Marilyn, Becot, Florence A., Connor, Leah M., Garner, Jennifer A., McGuirt, Jared T., 2017

Can CSA Cost-Offset Programs Improve Diet Quality for Limited Resource Families
Choices, Kolodinsky, J, Sitaker, M, Connor, L, Hanson, K, Morgan, M, Becot, Florence, 2017

Critical reflections on local food economic contribution analysis
Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems and Community Development, Conner, D, Becot, Florence, Imrie, D, 2017

Do Farm-to-School Programs Create Local Economic Impacts?
Choices, Becot, Florence, Kolodinsky, J, Roche, E, Zipparo, A, Berlin, L, Buckwalter, E, 2017

Farm fresh food boxes community profiles: Chittenden, Lamoille, Orange, and Windham counties, VT - Skagit county WA, Greco, L, Kolodinsky, J, Wang, W, Roche, E, Becot, Florence, Estrin, H, 2017

Health insurance is key to farm & ranch economic viability, Inwood, S, Knudson, A, Morris, K, Becot, Florence, Parker, J, Kolodinsky, J, 2017

Vermont heating fuel delivery and service providers 2016 survey, Becot, Florence, Thompson, E, Kolodinsky, J, 2017

Apple market expansion through value-added hard cider production: Current production and prospects in vermont
HortTechnology, Becot, Florence A., Bradshaw, Terence L., Conner, David S., 2016

Fact Sheet: Cost of production prices, and economic performance for the cider market in Vermont, Becot, Florence, Bradshaw, T, Conner, D, 2016

Fact Sheet: Long-term contracts in the UK cider industry, Becot, Florence, Bradshaw, T, Conner, D, 2016

Assessing the impacts of hospital local food procurement: results from Vermont
Journal of Foodservice Management and Education, Becot, Florence, Conner, D, Imrie, D, Ettman, K, 2016

2015 Comcast CPG renewal survey results, Becot, Florence, 2016

Burlington CPG renewal survey results, Becot, Florence, Wang, W, 2016

Case study profile Series for 10 study states for AFRI funded health insurance, rural economic development, and agriculture (HIREDnAG) project, Becot, Florence, Inwood, S, McDermott, L, 2016

Economic contribution and potential impact of farm to school programs in Vermont, Roche, E, Becot, Florence, Kolodinsky, K, Conner, D, 2016

Where do agri-food entrepreneurs learn their job and are there skills they wished they had learned?
International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Becot, Florence, Conner, David, Kolodinsky, Jane, 2015

A first look at the impact of the Ben & Jerry’s livable wage policy, Becot, Florence, Kolodinsky, J, 2015

Economic impact study of the Vermont non-profit sector, Becot, Florence, 2015

The economic contribution of the Vermont maple industry, Becot, Florence, Kolodinsky, J, Conner, D, 2015

High School Harvest: Combining food service training and institutional procurement
Journal of Extension, Conner, David, Estrin, Hans, Becot, Florence, 2014

Fostering the next generation of agri-food entrepreneurs in Vermont: Implications for university based education
NACTA Journal, Conner, D, Becot, Florence, Kolodinsky, J, Resnicow, S, Finley Woodruff, K, 2014

Institutional demand for locally-grown food in Vermont: marketing implications for producers and distributors
Journal of Food Distribution Research, Becot, Florence, Conner, D, Nelson, A, Buckwalter, E, Erickson, D, 2014

Measuring the cost of production and pricing on small diversified farms: juggling decisions amidst uncertainties
Journal of the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers, Becot, Florence, Conner, D, Kolodinsky, J, Mendez, E, 2014

Burlington healthy food assessment, Becot, Florence, Kolodinsky, J, 2014

How to develop a local and regional institutional food buying program, Becot, Florence, Conner, D, 2014

Measuring the economic impact of Fletcher Allen local food procurement, Becot, Florence, Conner, D, 2014