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February 2025
A monthly update for AgrAbility projects and friends of AgrAbility
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AgrAbility all-staff meeting: Monday, March 10 at 3:00 p.m. ET. Look for details coming soon. | |
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NTW Updates
- Don't put off making hotel reservations any longer. The room block closes on February 21st, so don't miss out. Click HERE to go to the hotel reservation page. Also see the hotel tab on the NTW website for more information and the link.
- Earlybird Registration pricing ends February 21st. Regular registration will increase from $400 to $450. Click HERE to go to the NTW website registration tab.
- Know of someone that might like to be an exhibitor or a sponsor? More
- Register to have a SRAP display table. More
- Put together a SRAP raffle basket and/or collect auctions items. More
- Start thinking about the snack to bring to share in the hospitality suite
If you have any questions about the NTW, contact Tess at tmckeel@goodwillfingerlakes.org.
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NAP is just starting to plan a regional workshop for the late spring in Shipshewana, IN, that will focus on working with Old Order communities. To be on the planning committee, please let Tess know.
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AgrAbility Zoom discussion: "Exoskeletons in Agriculture." Thursday, February 20 at 2:00 p.m. ET. Contact jonesp@purdue.edu if you didn't get the link.
The AgrAbility/Extension conversation meetings are held the second Wednesday of the month at 3 p.m. ET. Contact Samantha Wolfe at wolfesa4@msu.edu for details.
More Upcoming Deadlines:
- AgrAbility Annual Staff Needs Assessment (for those serving during 2024). Today, February 14. NAP will be giving away three items for randomly chosen participants who complete the survey: One free 2025 NTW registration, One $250 order of NAP publications, One $100 order of NAP publications.
- Orders for the Plowshares Technical Report, The Accessible Farm Shop: Usable and Efficient. $2 each + shipping; minimum order 25. Respond to jonesp@purdue.edu by Monday, February 17.
- NAP "Featured SRAP" social media initiative. One staff member per interested SRAP should respond to the web poll by Friday, February 28.
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Designed to reduce strain on one's back and joints, the EarthLifter Spading Fork utilizes a "rolling fulcrum" for controlled lifting. This not only allows one's posture to be in better alignment with spinal orientation, but also reportedly provides a 4:1 mechanical advantage (i.e., 1 pound of effort to lift 4 pounds). The tool can be used for harvesting root crops and for removing weeds, grasses, rocks, etc. as well as tilling the soil. Several of these devices will be available in the 2025 NTW auction.
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Staff provided a presentation about adaptive gardening and farming and AgrAbility program services to the Fairbanks Retired Teachers Association (FRTA). As a result of this presentation, they have been invited to create awareness of AgrAbility with a pod cast produced by one of the FRTA members.
As part of their plan to produce awareness of AgrAbility among medical professionals, staff had a booth at the three-day Alaska Public Health Association Summit, and nonprofit partner ATLA participated in a "lightning round" session on adaptive technology.
Finally, staff participated with a two-day booth at the Interior Farm Forum, an event aimed at local farmers, ranchers, and food producers.
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Vanessa Spero presented at the 26th International Conference on Autism, Intellectual Disability & Developmental Disabilities (DADD). The poster presentation, "Opportunities in Agriculture for People with Disabilities", highlighted programs and opportunities for youth and adults and reached an audience of 50 individuals.
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Palm Beach and Brevard counties have launched Barnyard Challengers, a 4-H program that creates agricultural and interpersonal connections for youth with disabilities. Teen mentors and adult staff and volunteers foster hands-on learning opportunities for youth to care for and show poultry.
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The Florida AgrAbility team met with their advisory board.
- Advisory board members will reach out to state senators and representatives regarding potential funding to support the AgrAbility program. More
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A few members of the Georgia AgrAbility staff were able to take a tour of an organization called FODAC. Georgia AgrAbility is partnering with them to help reach more individuals with disabilities in rural Georgia. More
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January 14-16, several Indiana AgrAbility staff and volunteers worked the AgrAbility/LifeLyfts booth at the Fort Wayne Farm Show. More than 28,500 attended the event and good contacts were made - especially through giving rides on the LifeLyfts Tractor Seat Lift!
The Indiana Horticulture Conference is an annual gathering of growers, Extension staff, researchers, and supporters of the state's diverse horticultural and specialty crop industry. Ed Sheldon, Indiana AgrAbility outreach coordinator, participated in the conference and highlighted AgrAbility's services in a trade show exhibit. More
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Maine AgrAbility Project was present at the annual Maine Agricultural Trade Show, January 14-16 in Augusta. Staff prepared a "farm ergonomics" theme for the show and talked to over 180 new contacts throughout.
AgrAbility staff worked in conjunction with an advisory council member from the Professional Logging Contractors to begin work on a version of a "Yoga for Loggers" poster with help from a small-scale logging contractor in western Maine.
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The annual "Flowering in the North" conference for cut flower growers took place at the end of January in Portland, ME. AgrAbility staff tabled and spoke with small-scale growers that attended the conference.
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Ned Stoller presented and had a table at the Frank's Crop Watch meeting in Hemlock, MI, where over 100 growers gathered.
Samantha Wolfe shared an intro to AgrAbility presentation to her Extension colleagues in the Agriculture and Agribusiness Institute at MSU. The following day, she also gave a short speech about AgrAbility to the local chapter of Toastmasters International.
Check out the Rolling Kneeler Cart Design Plans from the fall semester's MSU mechanical engineering capstone design project for an AgrAbility client.
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A group of 100 participants at several events learned how to utilize Missouri AgrAbility as a key resource offering direct services and educational support. More
Journey Polacek, a student pursuing a career as an occupational therapy assistant through the University of Missouri Occupational Therapy Assistant Baccalaureate Program, works with Missouri AgrAbility to develop toolkits that emphasize rural assistive technology devices, disability awareness, ergonomics, mental health resources, and injury prevention guides. More
Lincoln University's Innovative Small Farmers' Outreach Program (ISFOP) provided training with all staff members who assist with Missouri's plan of work. ISFOP Extension staff also handed out resources and discussed Missouri AgrAbility during in-person, on-the-farm visits with new farmers and their families.
Missouri AgrAbility was discussed as a resource during the Starling Missouri meeting on January 21 and 22. Discussions were held with five professionals in the fields of residential services for persons with developmental disabilities and community supports. More
Maureen Cunningham, BIA-MO executive director and Missouri AgrAbility Co-PI, highlighted Missouri AgrAbility during a BIA-MO Speakers Bureau presentation for 20 case managers and admission liaisons for The Rehabilitation Institute of St. Louis that provide in-patient rehabilitation services for Missouri AgrAbility clients throughout Missouri. More
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Emily Jacobson, program manager for Nebraska AgrAbility, shared that she has been making quite a few farm visits this month - great news! She is finishing up client reports and getting quotes for VR. More
Emily attended the quarterly Beginning Farmer and Rancher Group meeting in Lincoln to discuss opportunities to support those beginning ag producers.
Emily and Angie Howell, Nebraska Easterseals, recently connected with the 50 Mile March project to learn more about their efforts in Bellevue, Nebraska. They explored opportunities for AgrAbility to help educate homeless veterans about farming and the different types of assistive technology available to overcome their limitations.
Soni Cochran, Aaron Yoder, Ashley Ahrens, and Emily Jacobson continue to work on a presentation for the upcoming National Training Workshop. They are co-presenting with Ed Sheldon, Indiana AgrAbility, and his team for this presentation. More
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The New Mexico AgrAbility Project (NMAP) team completed a walk-through and attended the grand opening of the AgrAbility exhibit at the NM Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum in Las Cruces, NM. More
The next class of farm apprentices have been determined with NMAP's non-profit partner, Mandy's Farm. They will begin their farm training in February and March. More
UNM and NMAP team members gave a presentation about common intervention for hand injuries and assistive technology for food growers at the Albuquerque Master Gardeners program on January 28.
NMAP's non-profit partner will promote NM AgrAbility at a table in Santa Fe during the NM legislative session in February.
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Ohio AgrAbility started January presenting on "Making your fair accessible to people with disabilities" at the Ohio Fair Managers Conference and ended it with "Fitness for Farm Life" at AgPro Safety Day. More | |
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AgrAbility PA provided a presentation on the small stage at the 2025 Farm Show during the Women in Ag series with Temple Grandin as the opening speaker.
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AgrAbilityPA staff also had a presence at the Keystone Farm Show held in York, PA.
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Staff attended various trainings this month with representation at the Mid-Atlantic Fruit & Vegetable Convention and the Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATiA) Annual Conference.
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The South Carolina AgrAbility Project was invited by SC State 1890 Extension to attend the Young Farmers Association committee meetings in Orangeburg and Hampton Counties of South Carolina. More
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January began the 4th year of the Farmer Family Health and Wellness online webinar program, an educational outreach program designed to help farm families cope and thrive with the unique challenges facing them. TN AgrAbility staff has been a part of the online webinar program from year one by presenting, securing speakers, and moderating some sessions. More | |
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TN AgrAbility had the best mental health wellness day spent planting succulents in pots with Frontline Gardens and some veterans who wanted to learn more about horticulture therapy (HT). The Knoxville Vet Center and Frontline Gardens have partnered to offer to build a tabletop garden that can be taken home. More
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One hundred seventy South Gibson County Middle School FFA students (5-8 grades) were able to learn about AgrAbility and touch/use AT tools and equipment as one of their career days. There was a Q/A period at the end of the presentation for the speaker to answer. More
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A UT-Martin ag engineering student chose TN AgrAbility to complete his scholar's project. He and his professor made a farm visit to Fayette County to evaluate a TN AgrAbility farmer with severe arthritis and back impairment. More
TN AgrAbility (TNAP) continues to help veterans who farm learn about resources to help them succeed and remove barriers. TNAP always refers veterans who farm to become a member of the Farmer Veteran Coalition. More
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In January, staff conducted three farm assessments in northeast Texas. Staff worked with the local farmers to help provide them with a better quality of life. The served farmers varied from a beginning farmer to a farmer with over 50 years' experience.
A "Share Fair" was attended to educate new AgriLife Extension agents about the resources that AgrAbility can provide for their counties.
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AgrAbility presented at the Battleground to Breaking Ground Boot Camp, introducing the program to veterans and assisting with the conference.
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The AgrAbility of Utah staff was excited to present at Utah State University's Crop School Conference in Delta, Utah, this month, and they visited with over 40 producers in central Utah.
On January 29, AgrAbility staff set up a vendor table at the Utah State Horticulture Association's annual conference, which was attended by over 110 participants. Utah is famous for the cherries, peaches, and apples that it grows.
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AgrAbility Virginia is currently assisting 38 farmers at various levels of need, including a future sheep farmer for whom the team is designing a tactile map and pasture markers for navigation. | |
In January, AgrAbility Virginia participated in the 2025 VA Biological Farm Conference in Roanoke.
On February 5, the team led a session on farm stress and suicide prevention at the 2025 VCE Winter Conference in Blacksburg.
The program is also conducting its biannual evaluation to gather feedback from farmers and service providers to improve its services.
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AgrAbility of Wisconsin (AAW) staff exhibited at the Wisconsin Agribusiness Classic on January 13th & 14th. The Wisconsin Agribusiness Classic is Wisconsin's premier agribusiness industry event with nearly 1,000 attendees. More | |
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Outreach Program Coordinator Michelle Bachand exhibited at the Wisconsin State Cranberry Growers Association (WSCGA) Winter Trade Show on January 15th. The WSCGA Winter Trade Show is held concurrently with Wisconsin Cranberry School and the WSCGA Annual Winter Meeting and had 350 people in attendance.
Outreach Program Coordinator Michelle Bachand presented to the MEDA (Milking Equipment Dealers Association)/Chem-Star Sanitation School. After the presentation, participants had the opportunity to view and handle simple assistive technology devices and have individual conversations with Michelle to learn more about the AAW program.
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The AgrAbility for Africa staff is faced with a wave of uncertainty and fear within African communities as the suspension of PEPFAR-the U.S.-backed HIV/AIDS treatment lifeline that sustained over 20 million lives-leaves clinics shuttered, families stranded, and progress unraveling. More | |
The team welcomes new members Tara Dorn and Savannah Stephens. | |
Lincoln University has appointed Dr. Mark Lucas to be a Missouri co-Pi representing Lincoln University. Dr. Lucas is the director of the Small Farms Outreach Program and spent the month on-boarding and preparing to implement the plan of work. Two new staff were hired at Lincoln University in January who will assist with MO-AgrAbility implementation by virtue of their work with small farmers across the State of Missouri. | |
We welcome Julie LaJeunesse into a new role with NMAP as the program manager. Julie has already demonstrated proactive concern for the needs of NM food producers in her prior role with NM Technology Assistance Program as an assistive technology specialist. | |
AgrAbilityPA would like to welcome Em Kase to the project team. Em will be working out of the non-profit partner agency and is responsible for all the marketing and social media for AgrAbilityPA. Check out our Facebook page to learn more about Em! | |
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Special thank-you to Troy Dugger for his leadership of the TN AgrAbility program for the past five years after the "original" Tim Prather retired. Troy Dugger will be finishing his work with the Center for Profitable Agriculture, Southern SARE, and the University of Tennessee Extension before retiring later in 2025.
TN has started the transition to our new University of TN project director, Dr. Shelli Rampold. Dr. Rampold is an assistant professor of agricultural leadership, education, and communications in the Herbert College of Agriculture within the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture. More
UT feels that this new leadership will support the longstanding success and impact of the AgrAbility program in Tennessee and look forward to reaching new audiences and even more farmers with disabilities and their families. Please welcome Dr. Rampold. srampold@utk.edu
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Texas AgrAbility welcomes Sarah Pierce, an occupational therapy student at Texas Woman's University in Dallas, Texas. She grew up on a beef cattle ranch in Yoakum, Texas, and has always had a love for agriculture and agricultural workers. She is currently in her last semester of OT school and is completing her doctoral capstone project with Texas AgrAbility. Sarah will be creating educational fact sheets for farmers and ranchers with disabilities. She is grateful to be working with Texas AgrAbility this semester as she combines two things she loves - farming/ranching and occupational therapy.
Texas AgrAbility welcomes Ramzey Zimmerman as she joins AgrAbility as our student worker. She is working on her degree in agricultural leadership and development and a minor in extension. She has raised market lambs and goats, which sparked her interest in an agriculture degree.
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Click titles below for news stories featuring AgrAbility projects.
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Click titles below for other news of interest to AgrAbility staff members.
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