Missouri

For social media, Missouri AgrAbility focused its efforts on endorsing the Missouri chapter of Heroes to Hives, promoting webinars relevant to its clients, and promoting Grain Bin Safety Week. Additionally, staff are gearing up and working with their partners to participate in Brain Injury Awareness Month (March) and Mental Health Awareness Month (May).

Missouri AgrAbility staff and professional consultants provided face-to-face, fee-for-service Vocational Rehabilitation, Rehab Services for the Blind, and Missouri AgrAbility onsite farmstead assessments for client farmers with disabilities. This objective aligns with the USDA NIFA priority of providing direct assistance to farmers with disabilities and their families with individualized, customized, on-the-farm services that increase the likelihood that AgrAbility customers and their farm operations experience success.

Submitted by: University of Missouri Extension, Tevin Uthlaut, Karen Funkenbusch, Willard Downs, and Elizabeth Picking

Lincoln University's Innovative Small Farmers Outreach Program (ISFOP) in collaboration with the University of Missouri has been busy throughout the month of February! Mr. Nahshon Bishop, Mrs. Susan Jaster and Mr. David Middleton are working on a presentation for the AgrAbility NTW. Their NAP virtual conference presentation will take place April 20 and will cover:

• Safe livestock handling practices
• Designing safe livestock handling infrastructure
• Hands-on Jesup Wagon 2.0 demonstration

Two new staff members have joined ISFOP in the Southwest Region (SWR) and have been trained on the Missouri AgrAbility Project (MAP). Training included:

• Overview of program
• Overview of Missouri partners
• On-farm site visits

Submitted by: Nahshon Bishop

AgrAbility is featured as a resource in the Brain Injury Recovery Step by Step brochure. Distribution of this print, braille, and electronic resource is being coordinated with rehabilitation hospitals and community-based providers across Missouri that serve AgrAbility customers. Melody Boling also recently joined the Brain Injury Association of Missouri Inc. to assist with implementing Mo AgrAbility marketing and networking activities. You can also check out her bio in Staff Changes and Recognitions.

Submitted by: Maureen Cunningham

Staff Changes and Recognition

Melody Boling, ACSW, LCSW, recently joined the Brain Injury Association of Missouri (BIA-MO) as project director to help implement Missouri AgrAbility marketing and networking activities. Ms. Boling grew up in rural Missouri and has more than 20 years of experience with disabilities and community resources.

The University of Missouri Extension would also like to welcome Elizabeth Picking and Elisabeth Gooch to Missouri AgrAbility.

Elizabeth Picking, a field specialist in livestock with University of Missouri Extension, has joined the MO AgrAbility team. Elizabeth serves farmers and ranchers in southcentral Missouri. Before she started her position with MU Extension in 2018, she completed her bachelor's degree in animal science and her master's degree in physiology of reproduction from Texas A&M University. Since joining MU Extension, Elizabeth has focused her educational programming on beef, sheep, goat, and horse production and management. Elizabeth is also involved in annual conferences such as the Spring Forage Conference, Pearls of Production-Women in Ag conference, and livestock and forage conferences. Elizabeth enjoys teaching artificial insemination schools and horse workshops and partnering with the Southcentral Missouri Cattlemen's Association. Elizabeth has completed the Michigan State University farm stress train-the-trainer course and is excited to use those tools to help livestock producers manage stress and mental illness. Elizabeth looks forward to contributing to the MO AgrAbility team in developing educational content for farmers. When she is not working, Elizabeth and her husband enjoy their small farm with Quarter and Paint cowhorses, chickens, and a large garden.

Elisabeth Gooch is a junior at the University of Missouri-Columbia studying agriculture education leadership and communication with an emphasis in food science and wants to further her education in a master's in food science upon graduation in the fall of 2021. She grew up in the small rural town of Mexico, Missouri. Elisabeth is joining the University of Missouri AgrAbility project team to assist with social media outreach and data collection. She is most excited to learn more and help advocate for Brain Injury Awareness Month and Mental Health Awareness Month. In the future, she hopes to be able to work with a diverse group of children, youth, and adults, to better educate them in the areas of food and overall health and wellbeing.