Honoring "International Assistance Dog Week" in August, here is a story from Smoky Mountain Service Dogs (SMSD) who serves disabled military veterans:
"SMSDs make new experiences possible for their veterans. This was my first time to visit the Smokies. SMSD Dagger and I experienced our first hike together and he was fantastic giving me assistance when needed," stated Charley Jordan, flower farmer, AgrAbility client, and member of the NAP Advisory Team, in Woodlawn, TN, at Jordan Farms. "Learning to relax is not easy after spending a life in the military. Hopefully, I've taken away a few lessons on my own to just be in the moment." Charly Jordan started farming after a 28 1/2 year career in the Army. Dagger, his service dog, helps him with farming and his PTSD, and is a great companion. He is passionate about supporting other veterans in agriculture. Follow his adventures and cameos from Dagger, Charley's service animal @Jordanfarmstn.
Welcome to Clay Summers who was hired at Agricenter International in Memphis, TN, as the Veterans Employed in Technology and Service in Agriculture (VETSA) program manager. VETSA will help meet the demand of a shrinking agriculture workforce by bringing veterans' leadership and technological skills to the agriculture space and finding new "missions" at home. Differing from other programs that encourage veterans to start farming, this program will prepare veterans for a variety of careers related to the agriculture industry. Participants will begin their training by going through a two-week "agriculture boot camp" orientation that will be offered on a bi-annual basis at Agricenter International, the University of Tennessee-Martin or the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture (UTIA). The boot camp will be modeled after the Tennessee New Farmer Academy developed by Tennessee State University Cooperative Extension and will include topics such as careers in agriculture, farm business and marketing basics, agricultural production practices, assistive technology for farmers with disabilities, and workplace safety. The VETSA program will coordinate with the TN AgrAbility program, a national initiative that aids farmers and ranchers with disabilities, including disabled veterans. The program will be kicking off in the near future so please share with anyone who would be interested in enrolling, additional information, or helping in another way. More information is available at www.agricenter.org/agvets
TN AgrAbility continues working with veterans with disabilities who want to farm. Sometimes the beginning farmer does not immediately need assistive technology but rather needs to learn about local resources such as Extension and USDA services and to be connected with other veteran farmers. Meet another 2020 FVC Fellowship Fund awardee Keith Bridges of Knox Goats, his goat-scaping service. He has been spreading the word about Farmer Veteran Coalition of TN.
Gale Barber, Bedford County farmer and TN AgrAbility client, passed away August 27. He will be missed! He lived with Parkinson's disease and dementia and farmed 100 acres of beef cattle and hay with his son Jason, who is legally blind.
Gale was Jason's eyes and hands while farming. They were a great team! John, Jason's brother said, "Jason was his dad's right hand for 50 years, helping him keep the farm going - a farm that has been in our family for over 150 years. With the help of his sister (who is also legally blind) he will continue that work and legacy. Jason let Siri read the kind words of encouraging comments and texts from family and friends offering love and support." Please keep Jason and the Barber family in your prayers!
Submitted by Tennessee AgrAbility Project