National AgrAbility Project News

Look for a new e-Note format next month! The NAP is scheduled to switch to Constant Contact for an updated, mobile-friendly version of this publication.

Join the AgrAbility all-staff meeting Monday, September 23 at 3:00 p.m. ET. Aida Balsano is scheduled to share updates about AgrAbility and NIFA. Check your email for details coming soon.

Congratulations to Abbie Spackman of AgrAbility for Pennsylvanians for being selected the SRAP representative to the NAP Advisory Team for 2019-20. Thank you to all who submitted nominations.

The AgrAbility National Training Workshop will take place in Madison, WI, March 23-26, 2020. The request for presentations and posters has been sent out. More

Registration is open for the Regional Workshop in State College, PA October 8-9. This workshop will focus on occupational therapy and assistive technology on the farm—working together to keep farmers farming! More

The NAP and California AgrAbility are in the beginning stages of planning a Regional Workshop in Davis, CA, for December 3-4. More

Chuck Baldwin, NAP's underserved populations outreach coordinator, gave a presentation on AgrAbility at the Amish and Plain Anabaptist Studies Conference in Millersburg, OH, August 2. More

AgrAbility webinar: "UAVs: What are drones and how are they used in agriculture?" Wednesday, September 4 at 2:00 ET. More

Mutumba Faisal from Uganda attended the 2019 NTW in Lincoln and continues to show interest in the AgrAbility mission. He sends his greetings and a photo from Uganda.

Toolbox Spotlight: Mini Wheel Loaders offer an alternative to skid-steers with regard to accessing and operating, i.e., side entry (vs. front entry) and steering wheel (vs. push-pull lever control). The machines have hydraulic booms (not loader arms) that accommodate most skid-steer and small tractor attachments. Other features include articulated steering, hydrostatic four-wheel drive, and open or enclosed cab options.

State and Regional AgrAbility Project News

Alaska

Alaska has a new nonprofit partner for their project. They are pleased to announce that they are working with Assistive Technology of Alaska (ATLA) moving forward. More

DeShana York attended the Deltana Fair in Delta Junction, Alaska, and provided information about AgrAbility. More

Art Nash attended the Southeast Alaska Fair in Haines, Alaska, and staffed a booth providing information to the Southeast region about the project and opportunities.

California

California AgrAbility staff attended the Dan Best Health and Resource Fair in Knights Landing. This health fair was hosted by Dignity Health and provided health screenings to workers on the Dan Best Farm and nearby farms. More

California AgrAbility staff joined Agricultural Safety and Health Council of America's (ASHCA) webinar on California's perspective of the heat illness prevention program. More

California AgrAbility staff attended the three-day workshop hosted by the Center for Occupational and Environmental Health Berkeley. This workshop focused on applied skills in ergonomics and how to analyze and prevent chronic illnesses through design and implementation. More

Georgia

Georgia AgrAbility co-sponsored two produce safety workshops for military veterans in Athens and Blairsville, Georgia. More

Georgia AgrAbility staff attended the 34th annual Georgia Young Farmers and Ranchers Leadership Conference as an exhibitor. Staff had the opportunity to network with fellow Georgia YF&R members as they learned more about "cultivating growth." More

Georgia AgrAbility staff had a volunteer day at a client's home in Warner Robins, Georgia. Tradd Cotter of Mushroom Mountain was also there as staff assisted the client in training as he begins his mushroom operation. Date: July 23rd

Georgia AgrAbility North Georgia Extension Educator Kyle Haney spoke with the Northwest Georgia Center for Independent Living in Rome, Georgia. More

Indiana

Indiana AgrAbility spent part of July planning and loading displays for the Indiana State Fair, an event that included two days with Purdue Extension in the Agriculture/Horticulture Building (as a rotating exhibit) and a display in the FFA Pavilion for the entire 17 days of the fair. More

Indiana AgrAbility conducted four farm visits to new and continuing clients around Indiana. More

Kansas

Kansas AgrAbility (KAP) staff toured a blackberry and lavender farm with S.A.V.E Farm (Servicemember Agricultural Vocation Education), Ft. Riley's Warrior Transition Battalion, and the area National Civilian Community Corps Team. More

Tawnie Larson, KAP coordinator, introduced a fellow from the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders to beekeeping so that she can return to her country and start a program with other women that that have physical limitations. More

KAP staff attended and presented at the Kansas Farmers Union and Kansas Farmer Veteran Coalition's Summer Fun Farm Tours Series. More

Kentucky

Kentucky AgrAbility is still working to help the underserved farming populations in the state with emphasis on those with physical and mental limitations. More

KY AgrAbility will be helping at the state fair in mid-August with the KY Department of Agriculture safety and education booth. More

The annual Cooperative Extension Services training event will take place in Bowling Green and Winchester in the middle of October. All agents are required to attend, and this year the horticultural agents will also be attending.

Growing Warrior Project is working with KY AgrAbility to reach as many veterans as possible and present agriculture to them as a viable employment opportunity. More

On October 10, the Kentucky Farmer Veteran Coalition Stakeholders Meeting will be held at the KY State University Research Farm in Frankfort, KY. More

A new initiative is in the works for the Appalachian region of the state. This will involve the Grow Appalachia program, local resources, and KY AgrAbility to bring assistance to the veterans of the area. Meetings will be scheduled in the next few months.

Maine

As a continuation of peer mentoring and career exploration with youth with disabilities, four students from southern Maine worked three mornings a week on local farms in July. More

Staff continued their outreach efforts through FishAbility. More

On July 17, Wanda Caron, Richard Brzozowski, and Marie DeFranca attended the Wild Blueberry Annual Summer Field Day at Blueberry Hill Farm in Jonesboro, Maine. Their display focused on aging farmers.

On July 18, Anne Devin and Lani Carlson exhibited at the Maine Military Community Network (MMCN) conference. The topic of discussion at the booth was focused around agriculture as a viable employment option for veterans.

On July 31st Anne Devin exhibited at the Highmoor Farm Field Day at a university farm. Over 100 vegetable and fruit growers were on hand to stop by the display as part of the events.

On August 1, Positively Maine's Tory Ryden interviewed Lani Carlson and Dick Brzozowski from Maine AgrAbility as well as the new dean of Cooperative Extension, Dr. Hannah Carter. Listen to the 4-part podcast.

Michigan

The numbers are in! As a reminder, Michigan AgrAbility held a live Facebook event on Friday, June 28 at Matt Liebetreu's farm. Find out about the results of this event... More

Michigan AgrAbility had a booth at St. Clair County Fair where Matt Liebetreu is on its fair board.

Michigan AgrAbility will also be exhibiting at the 4th annual Agro Expo in St. Johns at the AgroLiquid farm on Aug. 13-14. More

Want to know what Michigan AgrAbility was up to in 2018? Check out the Michigan AgrAbility 2018 Year in Review ... check it out here!

Missouri

The Missouri project team successfully worked with Mennonite elders and community members to review and approve educational materials in culturally appropriate formats for upcoming program activities. More

During a June roundtable discussion, farmers with disabilities, socially disadvantaged farmers, and military veteran farmers identified the following topics as programmatic needs: More

Pharm to Farm, a Missouri AgrAbility collaborator, shared brochures at a regional 4-H Youth Futures College Within Reach conference for high school participants considering enrollment in University of Missouri System.

University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Pharmacy, a Missouri AgrAbility collaborator, included one student pharmacist in AgrAbility client outreach activities throughout July. More

Kayla Cramer, a UMKC School of Pharmacy PharmD Candidate 2020, is pictured here delivering rural wellness screenings, education and shared Missouri AgrAbility Project information with potential clients at the Macon County Flywheel. More

Farm Outreach Worker Susan Jaster of the Lincoln University Cooperative Extension Innovative Small Farmers Outreach Program and AgrAbility gathered a work crew of helpful people who would lend their skills to Greg Davis (farmer veteran) and his family of Cole Camp. More

Maureen Cunningham with the Brain Injury Association of Missouri highlighted the Missouri AgrAbility Project with an exhibit booth at the VA Mental Health & Suicide Prevention Summit in Popular Bluff, Missouri on July 17. Nearly 100 professionals who serve veterans attended this Summit.

AgrAbility networking was conducted by Ms. Cunningham at the Missouri Brain Injury Advisory Council (MBIAC) meeting through her discussion of AgrAbility's past and upcoming marketing activities, such as exhibits and conference presentations.

Nebraska

New marketing materials have been made, and a flyer is being created for presentation to different foundations.

On July 2, Emily Freudenburg with Nebraska AgrAbility worked with Ketra Crosson, OT/L of Maine AgrAbility and APRIL to deliver the AgrAbility webinar, "Advocacy: Working Together for Change." More

The Agricultural Health and Safety Course for Medical and Safety Professions course was held in Omaha at the Central States Center for Agricultural Safety and Health facility. More

Many county fairs have been happening around our state. Nebraska AgrAbility is gearing up to be at the state fair for two days in August to educate about AgrAbility and teach youth about farm safety and assistive technology.

North Carolina

As a new meeting dynamic, NC AgrAbility Partnership is hosting its quarterly meetings at different locations where it can share more with collaborators and other stakeholders. More

On July 20 NC AgrAbility staffed a booth at the Tomato Taste-ival at NCA&T farm. More

On July 31 in Greenville, NC, one of the NC AgrAbility partners, the NC Agromedicine Institute, provided a Mental Health First Aid training presented by Ruby Brown-Herring and Rachel Johnston... More

Ohio

Ohio AgrAbility displayed information and resources at the Columbus ADA 29th Anniversary celebration in downtown Columbus, Ohio. More

Ohio AgrAbility staff have been busy presenting to Master Gardener volunteers across the state about gardening with arthritis and held a successful workshop in Circleville, Ohio, early in July. More

Pennsylvania

AgrAbility PA Regional Workshop: Registration Open! Oct. 8-9, 2019 | Days Inn Penn State | State College, PA. The AgrAbility PA team is excited to announce that they will be hosting a regional workshop in conjunction with the National AgrAbility Project in STATE COLLEGE, PA! More

The latest print newsletter is out from AgrAbility PA! View the newsletter here.

AgrAbility PA provided hands-on AT demos and information during a Twilight Meeting hosted by Penn State Extension at Keystone Dairy, a family owned/operated dairy farm in Cambria County. More

AgrAbility PA Project Assistant Abbie Spackman provided an "agriCULTURE 101" training session for the staff at the Pennsylvania Assistive Technology Foundation (PATF). More

Tennessee

Tennessee AgrAbility celebrated our freedoms and independence during July and every day!

Congratulations to Derrick Stowell for his publication being accepted by the Journal of Therapeutic Horticulture for the May 2019 issue. More

Please send Jenni Goodrich of TN State University Extension and East TN New Farmer Academy well-wishes while she is recovering from partial knee surgery. More

TN AgrAbility participated in the western region's "Experience Tennessee" Extension event at the West Tennessee Farmers Market. More

Utah

AgrAbility of Utah presented at the Cache Interagency Council on July 22 at their monthly meeting. More

AgrAbility in the News

Click here for news stories featuring AgrAbility projects.

• Technology, temporary help keeps farmers on job longer
• Penn State Extension ag safety expert receives international award
• We must juggle helping older farmers and encouraging the next generation [opinion]
• Military veteran farm tour, agriculture program slated for Aug. 2-3 in Dallas, Garland
• AgrAbility PA Regional Workshop
• A Great Turnout at Mission Lobstermen’s Health Issues Event
• Promoting the Profession of Horticultural Therapy through Partnerships
• Statewide social media campaign: farmers may not be okay
• New AgrAbility director seeks to help people with disabilities stay in ag industry
• Agroforestry, Egg & Veg. Tours On Pine Ridge
• New program helps Utah farmers with disabilities
• Free Health Screenings

Other News

Click here for other news of interest to AgrAbility staff members.

• CSU Extension’s Brent Young receives educator award
• T-L Irrigation selected for national showcase at White House
• Four-Legged Farmhand
• Fighting opioid addiction in rural communities
• Find farm loans that fit your operation
• First US National Park to Offer Heavy-Duty Wheelchairs for Disabled Visitors to Enjoy the Scenery
• Improved Prosthetic Hand Has A Lighter Touch And Easy Grip
• USDA opens signup for Market Facilitation Program
• Penn State Extension online course aims to educate
• Woman Who Can’t Walk Teams Up with Blind Man for Hiking Adventures: 'He's the Legs, I'm the Eyes'

Upcoming Events

Click here for professional development events related to AgrAbility.

Problems? Contact Chuck Baldwin, National AgrAbility Project, baldwi19@purdue.edu