Maine

Maine AgrAbility's program "Boots-2-Bushels" (B2B) finished up the 2021 growing season with two sessions of farm coaching discussing effective communication between farm partners and employees. The season has been remarkable working with veterans learning to farm in Maine.

"This has been an amazing journey into the world of farming. (We) have learned so much, we met wonderful people, and toured the best of Maine's farms. Here's to Boots -2-Bushels!!!!" (B2B student)

Level 2 OT fieldwork student Michaela Marden has authored Maine AgrAbility's latest article "Maine FishAbility: rotator cuff injuries" for the November 2021 issue of Commercial Fisheries News. Having Michaela work with staff for the past 12 weeks has been jam-packed full of learning, program development, and fun, including a virtual marathon. As a FishAbility effort, five staff members ran the Maine Marathon relay race on October 8, a beautiful, sunny, warm day! Staff raised $755 for the Fishermen Wellness program.

To increase the capacity and access of the Maine AgrAbility program, staff developed a training program to create Maine AgrAbility Ambassadors (MAAs). An MAA is an individual who is trained and informed about AgrAbility and its mission, and someone who promotes Maine AgrAbility to the people in their circle of influence. In the inaugural year, staff are training 19 MAAs about AgrAbility resources and efforts.

Submitted by Lani Carlson