Maine

Maine AgrAbility staffer Ellen Gibson had a booth sharing program literature and resources to networks connections at the Maine Fiber Frolic, a two-day fair specializing in fiber and fiber animals in Windsor, Maine. The display focus was arthritis and hand strength. An OT student helped administer a survey on health issues that was collected and has also been offered online. Results will be shared in an article in the coming weeks.

Maine AgrAbility presented a workshop in Union, Maine, at the Maine Farm & Homestead Day, on vertical gardening and accessible gardening. Participants learned how to construct a sturdy garden trellis in three sections. They also had an opportunity to try out ergonomic gardening tools, receive handouts about services, and harvest lettuce from a raised bed.

Staff participated in a bimonthly beginning farmer resource-providers network meeting at Wolfe's Neck Farm in Freeport, Maine. The meeting ended with a tour of a new dairy farm facility's portable milking equipment - a Dairystar MobiStar hydraulic milking parlor. It's an interesting concept that wasn't as "portable" as anticipated.

Lani Carlson joined several other AgrAbility state programs at the 2017 ISASH conference in Logan, Utah. Agricultural safety and health information was presented from national and international sources. Staff hope to develop state-specific farm safety programming in Maine from some of the excellent ideas, posters, and presentations.

Submitted by Lani Carlson