AgrAbility eNote banner
October 2010

National AgrAbility Project News

Last minute NTW updates:
We look forward to seeing many of you in Charleston next week! More than 190 total participants are currently anticipated.
Click here for more information about:

Mark your calendars for the next AgrAbility all-staff call on Thursday, November 18 at 3:00pm EST/2:00pm CST/1:00pm MST/12:00pm PST.

The national arthritis and agriculture conference planning committee has decided upon a name for this event and continues planning for Arthritis, Agriculture, and Rural Life: State of the Art Research, Practices, and Applications. more

Amber Wolfe traveled to Nebraska in September to participate in the Nebraska AgrAbility Program’s events at Husker Harvest Days and the Nebraska Rural Health Association Annual Conference. more

Check here for the schedule of upcoming Community of Interest and Standing Committee call information. more

State and Regional AgrAbility Project News

California

As is often the case, end of summer and fall months are often the busiest for the CalAgrAbility Outreach Team. To mention a few, in September the team collaborated with the Health Ed Council in a region-wide health event for farm families. more

For south Central Valley constituents, CalAgrAbility Arthritis Foundation staff represented the program at the Tulare County Community Health Clinic sponsored event, providing exams to low-income farm families. more

In another outreach, CalAg participated in the national webinar, Ventanillas de Salud, a program that informs communities on topics such as health literacy, health prevention, and health promotion. more

Indiana

Indiana AgrAbility/Breaking New Ground Outreach Program participated in the annual Safety Forum sponsored by the Indiana Rural Safety and Health Council on September 16, 2010. more

Indiana AgrAbility/Breaking New Ground Outreach Program and the National AgrAbility Project collaborated with the Ohio AgrAbility Project with displays at the Ohio Farm Science Review near London, Ohio on September 21-23, 2010. more

Amber Wolfe staffed exhibits at the Marion County Healthy Older People’s Program and the Hendricks County Prime Time Expo. more

Amber Wolfe and Steve Swain had a meeting with the Major General of the Indiana National Guard to discuss opportunities to assist returning Indiana Veterans through Indiana AgrAbility.

Amber Wolfe has been invited to sit on the planning committee for the Skyline Club’s Life Sciences Professionals events. more

Missouri

Recently the Missouri AgrAbility Project, the Missouri Department of Vocational Rehabilitation, and the Missouri Rehab Services for the Blind have jointly developed and signed a Memorandum of Agreement which defines and outlines a cooperative approach for providing services to Missouri’s farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural workers with disabilities. more

This month, the CDC Regional Arthritis Centers kicked off their state-wide arthritis media campaign. more

On September 17, Don Schuster participated in the fall pre-harvest meeting at Southwest Center in Mount Vernon, MO. more

Joyce Brewer, volunteer master gardener, presented an AgrAbility Gardens for Every Body Program to the general public in Perryville, Missouri. more

Nebraska

Del Ficke, Rural Rehabilitation Specialist with NE AgrAbility, was one of 14 Farm Bureau Leadership Academy participants going to Washington, DC, in September to discuss current agriculture issues with congressmen and hold policy meetings. more

NE AgrAbility has been working with leaders of Nebraska Farm Bureau to create a partnership to broaden their outreach across the state. more

Three Nebraska AgrAbility staff and nine clients hosted an exhibit at Husker Harvest Days in Grand Island, NE, mid-September. more

Sharry Nielsen, NE AgrAbility, and Amber Wolfe, National Arthritis Foundation, hosted an exhibit at the NE Rural Health Association Conference in Kearney, NE, on September 16. more

Occupational and physical therapists are invited to “Rehabilitating Farmers and Ranchers with Disabilities.” more

Oklahoma

Program Coordinator Kevin Bell and Graduate Research Assistant Paige Eckert represented the Oklahoma AgrAbility Project at the 19th Annual Rural Health Association of Oklahoma (RHAO) Conference from September 22-24, 2010 in Norman, OK. more

Vermont

Rob Struthridge came to Vermont and conducted a workshop on "Using Ergonomics in Choosing Assistive Technology." more

The AgrAbility Advisory Board met Friday, October 1, for an afternoon of PowerPoint Presentations of current projects.

Wyoming

Wyoming AgrAbility provided training to the Wyoming Independent Living Rehabilitation specialists on ranching with disability and assistive technology for ranchers, farmers, and others.

Staff Changes & Honors

Missouri

Brad Marsh, former Assistive Technology Coordinator with the Missouri AgrAbility Project, and his wife Robin, both accepted new positions in Louisiana and have moved to Shreveport. Brad will be doing much the same thing there that he was doing for our program, except that it will not be restricted to agriculture.

Nebraska

Bill Booker, NE AgrAbility, has taken about 3 months off this fall for double knee replacements. We wish Bill well and hope to have him back full speed after the first of the year.

Wyoming

Rick Geringer, Corey McGregor, and Alan Ramage are the newest members of Wyoming AgrAbility. Rick is the IL specialist with Wyoming Independent Living Rehabilitation and Corey and Alan are IL specialists with Wyoming Services for Independent Living. They will be conducting the AgrAbility work site visits.

AgrAbility in the News

Click here for news stories featuring AgrAbility projects

Upcoming Events

Click here for professional development events related to AgrAbility


Problems? Contact Clifford Racz, National AgrAbility Project, racz@purdue.edu