REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN! The Arthritis, Agriculture, and Rural Life: State of the Art Research, Practices, and Applications Conference (AARL Conference) will be held at the Purdue University Beck Center in West Lafayette, IN May 11-13. This conference is for professionals from rural areas to learn how to help clients with arthritis. AgrAbility staff are invited to attend and invite attendees from their areas. The conference will include a day of farm tours for hands-on applications and experiences. Dr. Steven Kirkhorn from the Marshfield Clinic in Wisconsin will be the keynote speaker. A list of confirmed speakers and topics, hotel accommodations, travel information, and a link to the registration site is available online at www.arthritis-ag.org. For more information, please contact Amber Wolfe at awolfe@arthritis.org or at (800) 783-2342. Click here for a press release on the conference.
Submitted by Amber Wolfe
On February 24-25, 23 people from 7 states met in Corvallis, Oregon for the Northwest AgrAbility Workshop. Sponsored by the NAP and Oregon State University, this two-day event featured presentations from Carla Wilhite, Martha Stiles, Nancy Krusen, and Eric Olson. On the agenda was training on the background and purpose of AgrAbility, using NAP tools and resources, finding clients, and working with vocational rehabilitation. Special attention was given to conducting on-farm assessments and delivering an assessment report to potential funding partners on behalf of a farmer/rancher with a disability.
Submitted by Eric Olson
The National AgrAbility Project and Indiana AgrAbility staffed a display at the 2011 National Farm Machinery Show in Louisville, KY, February 16-19, 2011. The display included NAP and Indiana AgrAbility resources along with grain bin safety/rescue information. Record crowds were reported for the show this year.
Submitted by Steve Swain
Amber Wolfe spoke on the topic of "Gaining Ground on Arthritis Pain in All Generations of Farm Families and Farm Workers" at the 2011 Nebraska Women in Agriculture Conference in Kearney, NE on February 17. She also exhibited a booth for the National AgrAbility Project and the Arthritis and Agriculture project at the Midwest Women in Agriculture Conference in Jeffersonville, IN on February 24 and 25.
Submitted by Amber Wolfe