Wisconsin

AgrAbility of Wisconsin was part of the unveiling of the 30x20 grant recipients for 2014. Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker today announced 43 recipients of the Grow Wisconsin Dairy 30x20 grants at Lane Creek Dairy Farm, LLC in La Crosse. The goal of Governor Walker's 30 x 20 initiative is to increase Wisconsin's milk output to 30 billion pounds by 2020. With the grant funds, farmers can invest in management, develop expansion plans, and transition their farms for the next generation. Jeffery Berg and his wife Jo own Lane Creek Dairy Farm in La Crosse. Berg was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1989, but refused to allow the limitations caused by his disability to keep him from building his business for the next generation.

To continue working in the agriculture industry, even when the limitations caused by his disability made his daily tasks difficult to accomplish, Jeffery Berg received assistance from UW-Extension's AgrAbility program, which works closely with the Department of Workforce Development's Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR). Berg received services in 2007 and 2011 as his disability progressed, including modifications to farm equipment and buildings to ease access and assist him with the ability to perform daily farming tasks. DVR's mission is to obtain, maintain, and improve employment for people with disabilities by working with Vocational Rehabilitation consumers, employers, and other partners. AgrAbility is a partnership between UW Extension and Easter Seals Wisconsin, and has served more than 2,300 farmers in the state since 1991.

Submitted by Vicki Janisch