Missouri
The University of Missouri Extension Missouri AgrAbility program in collaboration with Lincoln University Cooperative Extension (LUCE) Innovative Small Farmers' Outreach Program (ISFOP) were busy throughout the month of January!
Using the Jesup Wagon mobile teaching method, Karen Funkenbusch and Debi Kelly, both of MU Extension, and Nahshon Bishop, Susan Jaster, and David Middleton of LUCE ISFOP, brought modern agricultural tools and research-based information to the Annual Great Plains Growers Conference (GPGC) January 8 - January 10 in St. Joseph, Missouri. The GPGC was a great regional conference for Midwest commercial fruit, vegetable, cut flower, and honeybee producers. Research-based information was provided from both vegetable research specialists and local growers to help farms grow and thrive. Some of the topics offered in 2020 at the GPGC included:
- Food Safety Grower Training (FSMA)
- Industrial Hemp 101
- Honeybees & Beekeeping
- Drip Irrigation Systems from Design to Production
- Cultivating Your Legally Resilient Farm
- Business Management
- Business Financing
- Tree Fruits
- Small Fruits
- Organic Farming?
- Conventional Vegetable Production
- Greenhouse & Hydroponic Production
- Invasive Species
- Vegetable Integrated Pest Management
- Cut Flower Production
In addition, the following AgrAbility topics and hands-on demonstrations were provided to participants:
- What is AgrAbility and how can it help you?
- Ergonomic hand tools every small farmer should own to prevent injury
- Personal protective equipment (PPE) you should own before you spray pesticides on farm
- Mental health and suicide prevention resources
- Missouri-specific info packets for socially disadvantaged farmers that include how to tap into one-on-one technical assistance from USDA Farm Service Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service, and Rural Development personnel, as well as how to receive customized, on-the-farm assistance from professional Missouri AgrAbility staff members
Submitted by Karen Funkenbusch
Jim Shepard and David Middleton, both of LUCE ISFOP, traveled to the Bootheel of rural Missouri to educate Missouri, Arkansas, Illinois, Tennessee, and Mississippi farmers at the Ag Expo in 
Poplar Bluff, Missouri, January 3 - February 1, 2020. Governor Mike Parson welcomed everyone to the Ag Expo and talked Friday afternoon with members of Poplar Bluff High School's FFA Club. Nearly 120 booths and outdoor exhibits featured agricultural information and resources. Entertainment, seminars, a petting farm, and milking, baking, and agricultural photography contests were also included. The following AgrAbility topics and hands-on demonstrations were provided:
- What is AgrAbility and how can it help you?
- Ergonomic hand tools every small farmer should own to prevent injury
- Personal protective equipment (PPE) you should own before you spray pesticides on farm
- Mental health and suicide prevention resources
- Missouri-specific info packets for socially disadvantaged farmers that include how to tap into one-on-one technical assistance from USDA Farm Service Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service, and Rural Development personnel, as well as how to receive customized, on-the-farm assistance from professional Missouri AgrAbility staff members
Submitted by Nahshon Bishop
University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Pharmacy (UMKC SOP), a Missouri AgrAbility collaborator, provided point-of-care health screenings and education at the Great Plains Growers Conference held at Missouri Western State University on January 10. Sadly, due to inclement weather, the conference was cancelled for January 11. Seven student pharmacists and three pharmacists from the Kansas City and Columbia campuses traveled to St. Joseph, Missouri, to perform rural wellness screenings and provide educational materials to conference attendees from across Missouri, Iowa, and Nebraska. Fifteen individuals were educated about farm safety and health, and Pharm to Farm. Missouri AgrAbility flyers were distributed, including materials regarding healthy sleep habits, falls prevention, hearing protection, and stroke prevention. Wellness screenings were performed for 24 individuals at a value of over $1,400. The screenings performed included diabetes risk assessments, blood glucose readings, and blood pressure readings. Following the results, seven individuals were referred for follow-up. Heart health education and medication list wallet cards were also provided to those receiving screenings. 
In addition, UMKC SOP's College of Psychiatric and Neuropathic Pharmacists (CPNP) student chapter provided mental health screenings for depression and anxiety to 20 individuals, connecting them with resources and referrals as needed.
Submitted by Kelly Cochran