Tennessee

TN AgrAbility sends a BIG THANK YOU and congratulations to Deborah Reed, PhD, on her retirement! (Photo by Mark Cornelison) She has been a friend of AgrAbility and started consulting with KY AgrAbility and John Hancock in the early 1990s. She has always been a strong, clear voice and advocate to keep farmers safe and healthy. Deborah was Kentucky's official agricultural health nurse in the UK College of Agriculture, Food and Environment and started the @AgNurse Facebook page. Dr. Deborah Reed is a registered nurse who received her BSN from the University of Kentucky in 1974 and her PhD in 1996. She is from a farm family in central Kentucky and has spent the past 28 years working across the nation and beyond to keep farmers and their families healthy and safe. She conducted research and educational programs funded through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and NIOSH. She especially enjoys being with farm communities and prefers jeans and boots to academic regalia. Reed taught AgrAbility staff to always promote farm health and at least one aspect of safety at every presentation, event, and farm visit - plus prevention of secondary injuries.

She retired June 30, 2021, with a new article submission published in the Journal of Extension. Authors: Deborah B. Reed, Debra McCallum, and Eileen Legault submitted: "Farm Dinner Theater: Improving Health and Safety for Farm Families" (MS #1286).

The program, Farm Dinner Theater, and Deborah Reed were featured in an O Magazine article "Meet 5 Nurses Who Just Might Save the World." The program has received numerous awards, including the American Academy of Nursing's Edge Runner Award and the Search for Excellence in Farm Health and Safety from the National Association of County Agricultural Agents organization.

Dr. Reed ends a wonderful career that has impacted the farm health and safety of a countless number of farm families! Deborah, you will be missed! Enjoy your retirement and more time for hiking in TN!

To read an additional story on Dr. Reed, "UK's First Agriculture Nurse Sets the Stage for Kentucky's Farmers", click here.

Submitted by TN AgrAbility Project