Ohio

Another successful Farm Science Review is in the books! Over 113,000 people attended, and although not all stopped by the Ohio AgrAbility/ag safety tent, hundreds did stop, and staff, farmers, and volunteers were kept very busy talking about Ohio AgrAbility services and assistive technology. Inside the AgrAbility and ag safety exhibit tent, many attendees answered trivia questions with the spinning wheel and dice games. There were disability assistive technology demonstrations and good conversations about accommodations on the farm and in the garden.

Several OSU Extension educators from across the state staffed the games and distributed farm stress balls. The AgrAbility team included Laura Akgerman, Randy Joseph, and Rachel Jarman, as well as Sarah Jordan from Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities, Karen Evans from LifeLyfts, Nick McCabe from McCabe Outdoor Mobility, and Derek and Michael Gaerke from DM Carts. Several of the farmer volunteers took time out of their harvest season to staff the tent. The team enjoyed talking to many other AgrAbility farmers who stopped in to say hello and shared a visit. The team was also very appreciative of Austin Heil and his team, who graciously donated $3,000 from their Cursive Ohio Charity Bike Ride. These funds will be used to support farmer peer network activities.

September also marked the end of inclusive livestock shows at Ohio county fairs. By the end of the month, Ohio AgrAbility Program (OAP) staff had attended 27 shows and provided medals for an additional 3 shows, totaling more than 700 medals awarded this summer. The shows were a terrific outreach opportunity, and staff made connections with community members, stakeholders, and colleagues from across the state. The red counties on the map are where staff attended shows, while the gray counties are where medals were provided. The team looks forward to attending even more shows in 2026.

Submitted by Laura Akgerman