Pennsylvania

Abbie Spackman met with the PA NRCS disabilities special emphasis program manager to problem-solve and collaborate in providing NRCS and AgrAbility services to farmers across the state. This has become a recurring bi-monthly meeting to increase networking between these two organizations. One specific area of conversation this month was on reaching farmers who have a disability, yet do not identify as having a disability. Abbie provided information to NRCS on ways to start the conversation with farmers.

Abbie participated in the PA Farm Link advisory board meeting held at Rohrbach's Farm. PA Farm Link operates a land and farmer linking database and provides succession planning to farm families. Abbie is able to provide information to the board and staff on additional programming considerations for farmers with a disability. AgrAbility also made three recent referrals to PA Farm Link for customers to receive support in farm transition planning.

Abbie partnered with a Penn State Extension dairy educator to provide three farm assessments in Bradford County, PA. The partnership with the dairy educator, who is well-known and respected in his county, opened the doors for two of the farm assessments to occur. Without this personal connection, these farmers may not have ever accepted services from AgrAbility.

Marci Walborn participated in Senator Tartaglione's Disability Employment Awareness Day at the Harrisburg Capitol Rotunda on October 22. Capitol visitors and legislators and their staff visited to learn about the supports and services AgrAbilityPA provides. Staff also made connections with other organizations to support farmers with disabilities.

On October 26, Suzanna Windon delivered a "Managing Stress on the Farm" training for the Allegheny County Master Gardeners. In the audience were some new and prospective farmers. On October 29, she will provide a webinar on the same topic via the Penn State Extension platform which is open to farmers in PA.

Submitted by Marci Walborn

Staff Changes and Recognition

Farm stress and mental wellbeing are topics and resources that we include in AgrAbility education and outreach activities through collaborations across Extension teams through the Penn State Extension Farm Stress Team. The Penn State Extension Stress Team received the EXCELLENCE IN TEAMWORK AWARD: first place national, first place regional, and first place state. Farm Stress team across program teams include Chi Catalone, Ginger Fenton, Linda Fetzer, Amber Hughes, Ashley Isaacson, Maureen Ittig, Adriana Murillo-Williams, Sonya Nace, Cynthia Pollich, Abbie Spackman, Ryan Spelman, Jill Varner and Jacqueline Zitzelberger. The award was presented at the National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences annual session, held recently in Tucson.