Maine AgrAbility staff and a local AgrAbility farmer presented a workshop at Maine Natural Resources Conservation Service’s (NRCS) all-employee meeting this month in Carabassett Valley. The workshop was an overview of the state program and a personal success story highlighting the farmer’s limitations and the path to overcoming obstacles in order to successfully farm in Maine. The workshop was well-received by the 75 NRCS staff.
Maine AgrAbility was one of over 30 exhibitors at the annual Agriculture Education Day at the Farmington Fair, talking with over 1,000 students, teachers, and parents attending from schools in a five-county area. The focus of the booth was hearing protection. Staff spoke with children about the importance of protecting their hearing. To encourage the important people in their lives to wear hearing protection around loud equipment, the children personalized notes that said “I want you to hear me say ‘I love you’ when you are older” and attached them to a set of earplugs.
Maine AgrAbility staff and advisory council members participated with a table and workshop at the three-day Common Ground Country Fair in Unity. Staff surveyed the farmers and gardeners about their physical and mental limitations, asking them to identify difficult and dangerous tasks they perform in their agriculture work. The data collected will be used to identify and develop new education areas. The Aging Gracefully and Gardening Without Pain workshop was attended by 45 gardeners and farmers and led to several great follow-up conversations.
Submitted by Lani Carlson