North Carolina

NC AgrAbility hosted the "AgrAbility/LIFE Project 1890 Land Grant Institutions Virtual Workshop." Two 1-hour educational sessions were offered each day November 2, 5, 9, and 12. Due to the event switching to a virtual platform this year, the focus was national, with participants including farmers with disabilities and those who serve them in the agricultural, medical, rehabilitation, and engineering fields. The workshop was attended by more than 100 participants who received information and resources on how to manage limitations in agriculture and how to succeed in production agriculture. The event was sponsored by the National AgrAbility Project, the LIFE Project (a collaboration involving the National AgrAbility Project, Legacy Farming and Health Group, and Peoples Foundation), and the NC AgrAbility Partnership. Other partners involved in the event included Legacy Taste of the Garden, Chef Joseph's Kicksauce, and Pangea Farms.

NC AgrAbility Partnership participated as an exhibitor at the Sustainable Agriculture Conference on November 4-8. Being an exhibitor in the virtual world was a new and exciting challenge for the NC AgrAbility staff who learned to develop tools to reach out to almost 700 participants at this event.

Beatriz Rodriguez presented at the NC Commerce Agricultural Services Annual Conference held on November 16, 18 and 20. This conference provided resources to farmers who hire foreign, seasonal, and migrant farmworkers, to help them increase awareness of services available in the community to improve the wellbeing of farmworkers.

On December 3 in Greensboro, NC., NCA&T SU Agribusiness and Food Industry Management undergraduate students under the leadership of Dr. Kenrett Jefferson-Moore presented projects. The students worked during the semester on two case studies for two NC AgrAbility farmers. They presented a marketing plan proposal as their final project. Farmers, NCA&T professors, and NC AgrAbility staff served as judges for the projects. The students received a stipend from NC AgrAbility as an incentive for their work with NC AgrAbility farmers.

NC AgrAbility participated at the Ag Expo Conference in Wilmington, NC, on December 5-7 facilitated by the NC Agribusiness Council. Dr. Crystal Kyle presented "Farm Safety and Health: Mental Health, working with farmers with disabilities, and using technology on farms." Farmers and service providers had the chance to learn about the program and how to apply for services.

On December 6, Beatriz Rodriguez provided a lecture to the NCSU bio engineering students for their ag safety class. The lecture was about the NC AgrAbility program and "How to Prevent Injuries in the Ag Workplace." Eleven students participated at this interactive session.

Submitted by Beatriz (Betty) Rodriguez