ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Current medical education policy seeks to address the health care needs of underserved populations, among whom are individuals associated with agriculture. METHODS: This paper describes a focus group approach to planning farm field trips whereby medical students accompany agricultural extension agents to study the personal, occupational, and environmental health concerns of farmers. RESULTS: The resulting plan joins a state's cooperative extension system, medical school, and farm community in partnership to provide an experiential approach to agricultural medicine and rural health education. CONCLUSION: The planning exercise and the field trips are successful examples of agromedicine, a partnership approach to preventive agricultural medicine involving professionals in medicine and in agriculture.
