Maine AgrAbility crafted a letter to its partners clarifying the current status of the program.
Dear Maine AgrAbility Partner,
Thank you for your long-standing partnership and support of Maine AgrAbility. We're incredibly proud of the work we have done together to educate and empower Maine's farmers, fishermen, and woodsmen so they can work safely and more productively.
We are writing to share an important update.
Since April 2, the University of Maine has been unable to draw down the federal funds from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) that support our AgrAbility activities and several other extension programs.
There was no formal notice preceding this federal government action and we believe no other AgrAbility program in the nation has been affected. In response to our inquiries seeking more information, NIFA has provided only the following: "We have not received any guidance on how to proceed. NIFA is not able to provide assurances about any future availability of funding at this time. These decisions are determined outside of NIFA."
As you can imagine, this has challenged the university's ability to assess the potential impact and to plan for the future.
You may be aware from media reports and university communications that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), of which NIFA is an agency, had previously paused all funding to the University of Maine System while it conducted a Title IX-related review. However, on March 19, the Department announced that was being immediately lifted after the System had "clearly communicated its compliance" with the law.
Given the uncertainty about how long this pause will last and the reality that Maine AgrAbility cannot continue its activities without this essential federal support, we regretfully must cancel all upcoming trainings and cease all client services, effective immediately.
We are devastated to deliver this difficult news.
Each year, our program serves more than 1,600 workers in Maine's heritage industries, including those who have been directly impacted by a disability. They work because Maine AgrAbility has worked, and their upward mobility and our state's natural resource economy are the beneficiaries. UMaine Cooperative Extension is actively exploring how we can continue to support these Mainers moving forward, but recognizes that our resources to do so are increasingly being limited. If you are able, you can make an online donation to Maine AgrAbility through the University of Maine Foundation, and if you are willing to share your story publicly about the importance of this program, please contact samantha.warren@maine.edu.
Please know that as soon as we have actionable information, we will reach out to provide you with an update. In the meantime, you can find Maine AgrAbility solutions and resources on our website at extension.umaine.edu/agrability/.
Sincerely,
Caragh Fitzgerald, Director, Maine AgrAbility
Hannah Carter, Dean, University of Maine Cooperative Extension
Submitted by Bella Russo