The rural rehabilitation specialists with the Colorado AgrAbility project have been diligently working with farmers and ranchers to support their physical health and wellbeing.
In the past month, staff were able to present at a workshop titled "Balancing Wellbeing, Finance and Market Success in the Farm" at the Colorado State University SPUR campus. An overview of AgrAbility services was presented followed by financial and behavioral health specialists sharing their expertise to provide a comprehensive experience for producers. This led to a new connection and another presentation request.
Since the beginning of 2025, Colorado rural rehabilitation specialists have completed 10 farm and ranch worksite assessment reports through the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR), each recommending assistive technology devices tailored to the needs of AgrAbility clients. Just in the past two months, one of the specialists, Ashley Buchanan, completed and submitted four of these reports. The reports play a critical role in helping clients access thousands of dollars' worth of tools and equipment that enable them to continue their essential work tasks and regain independence in their agricultural operations.
CAP's upcoming events include two Spanish-speaking workshops delivered by one of the specialists, Hannah Cefalo, as well as Ricardo Garcia from the Colorado Department of Agriculture. These presentations meet ag workers where they are by traveling to and presenting at feedlots in rural north-eastern Colorado to avoid disrupting their workdays. County fairs are also in full swing, and the project will be attending with booths to showcase the free resources available to folks.
Submitted by Hannah Cefalo