PAF Training Center

Bernard Geschke is one of the founding members of Progressive Agriculture Safety Days and the only current staff member who has been with the program since the beginning. His passion for this program and foundation run deep and can be seen in the countless hours he puts in to continue improving Progressive Agriculture Safety Days and making the events successful. Bernard is all about education and has been in the education field since the being of his career. His rural safety and health experiences started when we became Nebraska’s Farm Safety Director, leading to him helping develop the Progressive Agriculture Safety Day Program. As a program specialist of the Progressive Agriculture Foundation, Bernard assists in developing content, providing trainings, and supporting coordinators among many other responsibilities.

Susan Reynolds-Porter served as Chief Executive Officer for the Progressive Agriculture Foundation until her retirement in 2018. Susan directed the program since it was started in 1995 by the Birmingham, Alabama-based The Progressive Farmer magazine. Since that time, the program has reached more than 1.4 million children and volunteers at more than 6,000 Safety Days throughout the U.S., the U.S. Territories and Canada. The Progressive Agriculture Safety Days® are also held in Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay through a license agreement. Before joining The Progressive Farmer magazine to develop the Progressive Agriculture Safety Day program, Susan served as the Foods Editor of Southern Living Magazine and as a state-level Food Specialist with the Alabama and Georgia Cooperative Extension Services.