Background The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health Agricultural Centers periodically convene center scientists and educators working on NIOSH sponsored projects and other persons with expertise in agricultural safety and health. Methods Selected papers from the most recent conference in April, 2000, are presented. They focus on ergonomic factors, hazards to the health and safety of migrant workers and educational efforts in this population, injuries to children, the environmental hazards of discarded agrichemicals, the difficulty of assessing worker exposure, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in Canadian farmers, prioritization of health and safety issues and the economics of roll-over protective structures. Conclusions The diversity and severity of the challenges in agriculture both on small farms and in agribusiness are enormous. It is hoped that these papers will assist professionals at all levels in addressing these complex problems.