"An estimated one-third of the nation's three million farmers have some level of hearing loss caused by their inner ears' daily bombardment from sounds that can rival a rock concert's sonic impact. Even farmers still in their 20s can end up with the muffled hearing of someone in middle age if they fail to protect their hearing." northwestohio.com
"More and more women are finding their passion in farming .... There were 26,539 female farmers in Michigan in 2007, and that number is expected to skyrocket in the new census, scheduled for February release, reflecting greater participation by women in small-scale and organic farming. Detroit Free Press
"The Association for Airline Passenger Rights (AAPR) is hosting its 1st Annual Air Travel Accessibility Conference, designed to identify and discuss ways to improve accessible air travel for passengers with special needs." AAPR
"In Afghanistan, nearly every family has a small farm used to provide food for their family. Most farmers grow enough to sustain their family and have seed for the following season. Having reliable, safe agricultural practices is vital to the country. The Purdue Afghanistan Program aims to improve sanitation, education and Extension efforts in the country through a variety of projects." AgriNews
A PHARM Dog demonstration was held for 40 Vocational Rehabilitation counselors in Missouri. On September 26 the dog trainer, a farmer that received a PHARM Dog, and Jackie Allenbrand traveled to Sedalia, MO to do a demonstration at Fischer Stables. They demonstrated to the VR counselors the abilities of the dogs working with sheep and how the dogs can be beneficial to farmers in saving them time and energy. The service dog side of the project was discussed as well. A question and answer session took place afterwards between counselors and PHARM Dog attendees.
PHARM Dog will be placing two more dogs before the end of the year with farmers for use in their cattle operations.
Jackie Allenbrand will be doing a PHARM Dog workshop presentation at the APRIL Conference to be held in Tulsa, Oklahoma at the end of October. Alda Owen, PHARM Dog recipient, will be in attendance as well to tell her story.