Maine
University of Maine Cooperative Extension and Maine AgrAbility were recently awarded an Extension Risk Management Education Grant to support their Boots-2-Bushels (B2B) program. B2B is a comprehensive nine-month market gardening education and training program for military veterans, their family members, and farmers with disabilities in Maine. The program includes ten weeks of subject matter instruction and six months of hands-on production. The B2B program uses the "Five Fs" framework (Farming, Family, Finances, Future, Fitness) to address production, marketing, financial, and human sources of agricultural risk, and creates a near-peer cohort that fosters unit cohesion in an empathetic, therapeutic environment. The 18-month ERME grant will provide support for hands-on field work at a demonstration farm in 2021 and 2022, intensive individual follow-up in both years, and instruction and fieldwork in 2022.
Most recently, B2B farm students had their first field trip to King Hill Farm in Penobscot, ME, to learn about harvest and storage, including its wash and pack building.
During April, staff used outreach efforts to engage new audiences in Maine, including sharing resources with Native American tribes and commercial fishermen. Brie Weisman, OT, has started a monthly news post to the Commercial Fisheries News publication. The March 2021 article introduced FishAbility, a program of Maine AgrAbility, and the April 2021 issue focused on fishermen and back pain.
Be sure to check out our most recent news and blog posts:
- Osteoarthritis, Gardening and the Hands
- Farming for the Long Term
- Small Bites: Deciding Kids Roles on the Farm
- Small Bites: Reflections of a White Farmer
- Small Bites: A Strong Foundation is Built on Gratitude and Appreciation
Submitted by Lani Carlson