Tennessee

"Thank you is not enough words." Those were the first words TNAP staff member Joetta T. White heard as she exited her truck after TNAP customer Dennis Martin (livestock producer from Wayne County, TN) had used his new Polaris UTV for two weeks. Mr. Martin received his UTV in May 2021, not for recreational purposes but as a farm tool. He stated: "This is a necessary farm tool for me; not like the ones I see running up and down the road for recreational purposes." With the assistance of TN AgrAbility, Tennessee Vocational Rehabilitation Program, and Disability Rights Tennessee, Mr. Martin now has his LARGE toolbox that travels with him everywhere on his farm. Megan Harris, UT Extension Wayne County ANR agent, has been a help to Mr. Martin as well. She helped Dennis gather dirt for his soil samples. Since he had trouble using the soil sample probe due to gripping issues, Megan came to the rescue.

"He had to show me all the compartments and everything he had in each one and the bed of the UTV had ALL his fencing tools," stated Joetta White. Before receiving his UTV, Mr. Dennis would have to use his tractor and put all his equipment in the bucket, and driving over the terrain, if he hit a bump, some tool would fall out. After an accident in 1977 that left him with mobility issues, the UTV will be an essential farm tool. "What brought tears to my eyes," Joetta said, "was when he said he mentioned to his wife that if anything ever happened to him, the UTV was to be given to a farmer that had physical challenges in order to help him or her on their farm.".

TN AgrAbility joined with the Farmer Veteran Coalition (FVC) of TN for their one-year celebration as a state chapter of the Farmer Veteran Coalition in May! Activities included networking, sharing ideas, listening to the state of the chapter, and introducing the leadership representing East, Middle, and West TN. They also announced the TN Fellowship Fund winner and Tractor Supply Company Fellowship Awardees for 2021. National FVC announced in a press release the Fellowship Fund applicants facts at-a-glance:
• 87% are veterans, 13% still serving
• 49% Army, 19% Marines, 18% Air Force, 16% Navy, 2% Coast Guard
• 79% enlisted, 21% officers
• 76% post 9/11
• 69% report being wounded, injured, or ill as a result of service
• 78% report less than $10,000 in farm sales last year
• 44% grow vegetables, 36% poultry, 33% fruit, 27% bees, 25% cattle, 23% berries, 22% flowers
• Highest number of applicants are from Texas, followed by North Carolina and Tennessee tied, then Michigan, New York and Virginia tied.

In Tennessee, a new effort aims to bring hope and intervention for farm stress. TNAP has partnered with Heather Sedges, PhD., an associate professor of human development in the UT Extension Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, the principal investigator of the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network: Southern Region. "Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, stress in our daily lives had a great impact on our mental health and well-being," states Heather. "And stress will always be there in one form or another. One reason we're taking a long-term, multi-disciplinary, and sustainable approach to combatting stress is because it isn't going away. Ultimately, we're getting to the root causes of the issue." To read more, click here.

Frontline Gardens founders Mike (TN AgrAbility farmer) and Stephanie Trost give back to our heroes who served on the front lines of the battlefield and to those law enforcement officers on the front lines here at home. Frontline Gardens are currently working on their ninth raised bed garden since the program started in December 2020 during a pandemic. Their main goal is to give heroes a respite from the stressors of the world they live in and to receive help with issues that plague them. Therapy has been designed to help those who struggle with PTSD in conjunction with a gardening program. Visit www.frontlinegardens.org to learn more about the program and to see stories like Sgt. Joseph Gaulton's: "Having these planters at the right height will allow me to watch my new vegetables grow and care for them my way. This pandemic has been so limiting for me. The things I tried to do before the pandemic are no longer available, so I am stuck at home day in and day out. Having my own garden along with therapy gives me something at home that I can do. For the first time in a long time, I am excited about something. I look forward to seeing my plants grow. I want to thank everyone involved for helping me not feel forgotten. It is so easy to get in your own head and not see your own value. I appreciate the Jack Daniels planters, herb box, seeds and support I feel from Frontline Gardens. I could not have built them on my own, so thank you to the builders."

Additional gardens are planned for 2021.

Submitted by Tennessee AgrAbility Project