The Minnesota AgrAbility Project will be holding its 21st Annual Fenceline Conference at the Holiday Inn & Suites in St. Cloud, Minnesota, March 16-17 2014. Every year former, current, and new AgrAbility participants along with other individuals interested in the Minnesota AgrAbility Project gather in St. Cloud for the two-day conference.
The conference provides the opportunity to learn about the most recent advances in technology, while gathering ideas for making life safer and more efficient on the farm and learning from others who have recovered from serious illness or injuries. The conference gives participants time to network with one another, discuss the challenges of farming with a disability and how it affects the entire family. The natural peer mentoring that takes place during this time is priceless. The theme of the conference for 2014 will be "Keeping the Family Farm Alive."
Topics being presented at this year's conference include:
Vendors will be on site, providing demonstrations of new products. Time will be available to visit with the vendors and learn more about products and services that are available to help overcome the barriers farming with a disability may present.
Minnesota AgrAbility staff hosted a booth at the Central Minnesota Farm Show at the St. Cloud Rivers Edge Convention Center, located in St. Cloud, Minnesota. Over 4,000 people braved the extreme cold and snow to attend the three-day event held February 25-27. The Central Minnesota Farm Show is the largest show of its kind in the Upper Midwest. Over 180 exhibitors were on hand, providing examples of the latest farm technology and related services in Minnesota. The primary audience attending the Farm Show included working farmers and their families.
AgrAbility brochures and information were handed out, giving staff the opportunity to visit with farm families from Minnesota and neighboring states. Numerous new contacts were made during the three-day event.
Submitted by Dan Stores