National AgrAbility Project News
Goodwill Industries is hosting a two-day in-service training at the headquarters of the Roanoke, VA Goodwill on August 23 & 24.More
AgrAbility Webinar Series: AgrAbility Outreach to Migrant and Seasonal Farmworkers: Fotonovelas and Beyond. September 2, 2010. More.
Bob Aherin of the University of Illinois, the NAP, and Illinois AgrAbility Unlimited, was recently awarded the 2010 Paul A. Funk Recognition Award, which is the top faculty award given by the University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES). More
Registration is now open for the 2010 AgrAbility NTW in Charleston, WV. Visit http://workshop.agrability.org/ for more information, including the preliminary conference schedule.
NTW farmer/ranchers scholarship applications are due August 27. See the conference site for an application form, and contact Paul Jones jonesp@purdue.edu for more information.
A live auction will be held again at this year’s National Training Workshop to raise money for farmer scholarships for the 2011 NTW. Watch your inboxes for information from Amber Wolfe regarding auction donations and state-related items.
Hotel reservations can now be made for the 2010 NTW. More
Check here for the schedule of upcoming Community of Interest and Standing Committee call information. More
State and Regional AgrAbility Project News
Wyoming
Wyoming AgrAbility Project Coordinator, Mary Fick Monteith, disseminated materials at the Wyoming Council for the Blind Conference held in Gillette, WY on 6/19/2010.
Randolph Weigel, Wyoming AgrAbility Program Director, was a presenter at the Research & Extension Field Day in Powell, WY on 7/8/2010. The topic was “Agriculture and Skin Cancer Prevention” with 80 ag producers, professionals and students in attendance.
On July 22, 2010, Randolph Weigel, Program Director for Wyoming AgrAbility, gave a brief training on “Preventing Skin Cancer and Agriculture” to 75 farmers, educators and students at the Sustainable Agriculture Research & Extension Center (SAREC) in Lingle, WY.
West Virginia
Staff traveled to northern Maine to present farm culture information, disability awareness within the agriculture industry, assistive technology, and skills for providing care to caregivers at this year’s National Rural Social Work Conference.More
Vermont
Congratulations are in order to the Vermont Farm Health Task Force, for three successful years of collaboration, networking, effective programming, and raising awareness about the significant health and safety issues faced by Vermont’s farm communities, and addressing a variety of solutions!More
Vermont AgrAbility has added five new Advisory Board members eager to serve.
One of Vermont AgrAbility peer support groups of amputees, the Champutees that meets at Fanny Allen Health Care, met with the Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports who hosted a sailing event on Lake Champlain with 14 members going sailing on the lake and enjoying a cook out afterwards
Another peer support group, Barn Builders, has taken on a project to help a group member complete an addition to their house that was started before a TBI accident.
Gail Lapierre and Margaret Gilman received their "Vermont Cow of Honor" pins for Advisory Board Development excellence. Bill Snow also will be "pinned" at the next meeting.
Remember to check out the Vermont farm safety blog: http://farmsafevt.wordpress.com/
Oklahoma
Program Coordinator Kevin Bell represented the Oklahoma AgrAbility Project at the national meeting of the Association of County Agricultural Agents (NACAA) from July 11-13, 2010 in Tulsa, OK.More
Kevin Bell took part in the 75th Annual Oklahoma Home and Community Education (OHCE) Conference from July 19-20, 2010 in Oklahoma City, OK.More
Lynn Jeffries, Director of the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program for the Langston University School of Physical Therapy and Sandra Stevenson, Program Manager for the Oklahoma AgrAbility Project partnered to co-teach an AgrAbility training to students of the doctor of physical therapy program at Langston University in Langston, Oklahoma.More
The National Arthritis Foundation supports the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service effort to educate and support individuals with proven arthritis techniques to better manage their pain and take control of their lives.More
Click here for the Oklahoma AgrAbility Project Summer 2010 Newsletter. More
Kansas
Steve Hoover, AT Ag Specialist for the Kansas AgrAbility Project met with farmers at the Four State Farm Show, July 16-18 in Pittsburg, KS. The exhibit space was shared with Kansas AgrAbility partners Assistive Technology for Kansans (ATK) and Southeast Kansas Independent Living (SKIL)
John Slocombe, Kansas AgrAbility project director, represented Kansas AgrAbility at the ASABE Annual Meeting, June 20-23 in Pittsburgh, PA and the NIFS Annual Conference in Wilmington, NC, June27-July1.
Ed Brokesh, KSU BAE instructor, presented a paper about the partnership between Kansas AgrAbility and the K-State BAE Senior Design Course (BAE 536) during the AgrAbility breakout session at the NIFS Conference in Wilmington, NC, on June 28.
Kerri Ebert, Kansas AgrAbility project coordinator, attended a Disability Summit hosted by Three Rivers Independent Living Center, on July 15.
Minnesota
MN AgrAbility Project staff exhibited at Farm Fest, the largest outdoor agricultural event in Minnesota in a booth shared with MN Farm Bureau. The event connects 40,000 attendees with over 550 local and leading companies in the farming industry.More
Indiana
Amber Wolfe made visits to four central Indiana county fairs. She presented short speeches and hosted educational displays at the Johnson, Brown, and Monroe county fairs, and assisted another project partner at the Adams county fair.
Amber Wolfe spoke at the vendor fair for the Indiana Area Agencies on Aging organization. She also handed out materials that could be used by the AAA field agents as they work with clients in rural areas.
The Breaking New Ground Outreach Program/Indiana AgrAbility was one of 50 exhibitors at the 2010 Indiana Assistive Technology Conference in Indianapolis at the Convention Center.More
California
With local fairs in full swing, CalAgrAbility staff are attending events to connect with farmers.More
CalAgrAbility was also involved with ADA festivities.More
CalAgrAbility staff completed and piloted two of three session of "Taking the Reins," an arthritis self-help workshop for farming communities. Plans are in place to complete the series in August in a small town in Yolo County.
CalAgrAbility and Farmer Veteran Coalition co-sponsored a large event in Southern California for veterans who are currently farming or who may want to farm.More
Staff Changes
AgrAbility in the News
Click here for news stories featuring AgrAbility projects
- Farm health and safety to be featured at Ag Progress Days
- Farmersville Native Earns Top Award
Other News
Click here for other news of interest to AgrAbility staff members
- RI Rep. Langevin presides over House for 1st time
- Recession-battered states cut funding for the disabled
- Paraplegic blazes trail riding motocross
- Get Back in the Garden
- Two Indiana 4-H alums establish county program endowments
Upcoming Events
Click here for professional development events related to AgrAbility
Problems? Contact Clifford Racz, National AgrAbility Project, racz@purdue.edu