Colorado

The Colorado AgrAbility Team is expanding! The Colorado AgrAbility Project in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies and Colorado State University Extension (CSUE) are looking to hire four full-time regional extension behavioral health specialists to provide in-the-field stress management information and education to farmers and ranchers to prevent emergencies, including suicide, to be innovative in addressing the reluctance of many farmers and ranchers to seek and follow through with counseling, and to provide training for rural behavioral health providers and community stakeholders. Posting closes March 20, 2023.

Those interested can apply here: https://jobs.colostate.edu/postings/121492
For questions or more information, please contact: Chad Reznicek, Behavioral Health Specialist, Colorado AgrAbility Project at Chad.Reznicek@colostate.edu.

Submitted by Ellis Vidmar

Staff Changes and Recognition

Ellis Vidmar, M.S., joined the Colorado AgrAbility team in January as the program coordinator! Ellis' agriculture roots are from a multi-generational cow/calf ranch in Hot Sulphur Springs, Colorado. She spent most of her summers raising market animals in 4-H, rodeoing, and helping with daily ranch operations. Ellis' passion for agriculture started at a young age and it led her to seek further education to advocate for the industry. Ellis started her college career at Northeastern Junior College in Sterling, and found her voice for agriculture advocacy. She received her Bachelor of Science in agricultural media and communication at West Texas A&M University in Canyon, TX. Post-graduation, she and her husband moved back to Colorado for almost a year before she decided to pursue her master's degree. During graduate school, she worked in the Paul Engler College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences dean's office at West Texas A&M University for two and a half years while completing research, writing her thesis, teaching undergraduate classes, and most of all growing professionally. August of 2022 she graduated and moved back to Colorado to pursue advocating for the industry. Ellis is thrilled to be serving on the AgrAbility team and making a real difference in agricultural producer's lives.