Minnesota

The Minnesota AgrAbility Project staff would like to thank everyone that helped make the 2013 National Training Workshop held in Minneapolis, Minnesota a memorable experience for conference attendees.

The list includes, but is not limited to local volunteers, donors, vendors, the conference planning committee members, and the staff of the National AgrAbility Project. The hard work and countless hours of all these individuals helped make the conference a great success.

It is the hope of Minnesota AgrAbility that the 191 individuals from 36 states attending the conference enjoyed their stay in the Twin Cities area and had an opportunity to experience some of what makes Minnesota a great place to work, live, and raise a family.

The snow storm on April 11 reminded us that while we can control the events scheduled during the conference, we have no control over the weather. The Minnesota Winter of 2013 will be remembered for years to come. It is May 1st today, and 6-8 inches of snow is predicted for some areas of Minnesota.

Wish you were here!

Thanks again for participating in the 2013 AgrAbility National Training Workshop.

Inventors from across the Midwest traveled to Redwood Falls, Minnesota to attend the 56th Annual Minnesota Inventors' Congress held April 19-20, 2013. This event gave inventors the opportunity to showcase their inventions and have time to network with other inventors. Other aspects included training sessions and the opportunity to talk with patent attorneys and consultants who are experts in the product development process.

The Minnesota AgrAbility Team, including Carol Fury and Dan Stores, participated in the event, judging the inventions to determine the top three to receive the 2013 Minnesota AgrAbility Awards presented at the evening banquet.

Again this year, the high quality and the wide variety of inventions resulted in many tough decisions having to be made.

In judging the inventions for the AgrAbility Awards, the following two questions were asked:

1. Does the product help solve a problem or overcome a barrier for people with a disability and/or chronic health condition?
2. Does the product help people cope more effectively with barriers related to the normal process of aging?

First place was awarded to Michael Suess for his "Powerizer," second place to Ed Maas for his "Skid Loader Bucket Hitch," and third place to Chris Leever for his "The Lid Leever."

The MN AgrAbility Project is committed to help recognize and promote specific inventions that will enhance the lives of those with disabilities.

Submitted by Dan Stores