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July 2024
A monthly update for AgrAbility projects and friends of AgrAbility
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Planning continues for the 2025 NTW. Remember to save the dates of March 24th -27th in Las Cruces, NM, at the Hotel Encanto with sessions at the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum. A link for room reservations and the call for presentations and posters will be coming out soon.
A regional workshop related to assistive technology, worksite assessments, and preparing for the RESNA ATP exam is being held in Ann Arbor, MI, July 16-18. Look for a workshop summary in the next month's e-Note.
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The next regional workshop will be held in Guam from October 29-31, 2024, in cooperation with the Western Regional Agricultural Stress Assistance Program (WRASAP). If you would like to present, this is the last chance to send in your proposal. Registration and hotel information will be coming out by the beginning of August. If you have any questions, please reach out to Tess tmckeel@goodwillfingerlakes.org.
The upgraded AgrAbility Publication Database, which links to publications developed by NAP and by the SRAPs, is now live at www.agrability.org/pub-database. Based on SRAP feedback, a keyword search function was added. Please contact NAP if you have publications you would like to link to the database.
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AgrAbility NTW Encore Webinar: “Building Capacity for Farm Stress Resilient Communities,” Wednesday, July 24, 3:00 p.m. EDT. www.agrability.org/ntw-encore
Are you interested in marketing and media? Join the Marketing & Media Community of Interest meeting next Monday, July 22 at 2:00 p.m. EDT for a discussion on various aspects of public awareness. Contact jonesp@purdue.edu for log-in information.
Brian French recently distributed the summary of the 2023 Annual Staff Needs Assessment (ASNA) results, and it has been posted at www.agrability.org/extranet/evaluation along with past ASNA summaries. Thank you to everyone who provided input. Look for a follow-up email from NAP soon.
Newly archived virtual events:
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A Smartphone Endoscopic/Borescopic Camera can be a valuable yet relatively inexpensive tool around the farmstead (workshop, garage, home). With this technology, one can inspect small or otherwise hard-to-access areas that need repair or maintenance, e.g., vehicle engine, equipment undercarriage, electrical wiring, HVAC, sewer drainpipe. In addition to the smartphone app, some kits consist of a cable with a camera and light at one end and the smartphone connector at the other; others have more complex camera controllers.
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Staff participated in a number of large events in the past month. These included ATLA's open house for partners, the public, and the Division of Vocational Rehab; a large annual health fair in Anchorage; a professional presentation at a health/resource fair for a tribal-serving medical system; and a health fair in Juneau. Plans were made for outreach at numerous summer events (local agricultural fairs, veteran's stand down, disability pride festival). | |
California AgrAbility was recently invited by the Sustainable Herbs Lab to present for the Learning Journey cohort in preparation for their herbs learning tour. Participants were on their way to the southwest Oregon herb farms that employ migrant farm workers. More | |
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Later in the month, California AgrAbility presented at the Center for Land Based Learning (CLBL) staff retreat. The presentation highlighted topics of disability and veterans in agriculture. The presentation concluded with a Q&A about disability in agriculture.
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On June 14th, AgrAbility staff members presented at the 26th Family Café in Orlando. The Family Café exists to provide individuals with disabilities and their families an opportunity for collaboration, advocacy, friendship, and empowerment. More
Another staff member attended the Monticello Watermelon Festival on June 14th. This event attracts local farmers, industry professionals, and farmworkers. More
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From June 17th to the 21st, the Florida AgrAbility case coordinator attended the 2024 Florida Cattlemen's Association in Marco Island. This event brings in several hundred farmers, ranchers, and those working in the agriculture field to improve the Florida cattle industry and foster connections.
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On June 27th, Vanessa Spero worked a booth at the 15th Annual UF/IFAS Range Cattle REC Youth Field Day. This event had 114 registrants interested in all areas surrounding beef cattle production in Florida.
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Veteran outreach and engagement continued across the state as AgrAbility in Georgia's veteran coordinator attended multiple events aimed at educating their veterans on disability services, educational benefits, and employment opportunities at the We Care Vet Fair in Rome, GA,... More
Georgia AgrAbility hosted a webinar titled "Make AT in Minutes with specialty tapes" with Therese Willkomm as the instructor. Participants got an in-depth look at many different kinds of tapes and their uses when making assistive technology. More
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Indiana AgrAbility held their spring advisory team meeting June 26. Seven advisors, six staff, two consultants, two partners, and three guests were in attendance, including Mr. Jerry Alexander, the East Central Indiana regional director for Senator Mike Braun. More
| The Bridging Horizons Community Service Contest provides a community-oriented service experience that gives groups the opportunity to apply the knowledge they have gained and make a positive impact by helping community members overcome physical barriers. Congratulations to the East Central FFA Chapter and to to Veterans IN Farming, which will both receive a $500 cash prize (from non-AgrAbility funds) and a certificate... More | |
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Indiana AgrAbility veteran outreach is partnering with two nonprofits (At Ease Orchard and Veterans IN Farming) to provide a national webinar series on beginning farming/ranching tailored to a veteran audience. The summer lunchtime webinar series is packed with insightful programming designed to help enhance farming practices and expand market reach. Anyone is welcome to attend any of the webinars. More
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ME AgrAbility program staff attended the Maine Military and Community Network Conference in Portland. Staff connected with numerous service providers of military and veteran services, sharing AgrAbility services and program information. More
AgrAbility program coordinator and staff member Brie Weisman connected with Safety and Environmental Compliance staff from Pleasant River Lumber and A+A Brochu Logging to learn more about logging sites, a typical logging workday, standard logging equipment, logging injuries, and job-related pain. More
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The Extension educator in Michigan who plans to organize the monthly meeting of Extension staff working with AgrAbility will send out a scheduling poll to those who have expressed interest within the next week. If you have not yet done so, please contact Sam at wolfesa4@msu.edu. More
MI AgrAbility leadership held its quarterly meeting in-person in East Lansing. Major topics included strategic planning at the next in-person meeting and hosting an OTD capstone student in 2025.
MI AgrAbility staff joined the MSU Extension field crops team virtual meeting and two other 1:1 Extension staff in different institutes, provided an overview, answered questions, and encouraged staff to mention the program when meeting with growers.
Extension staff attended a Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) event for outreach workers who provide resources and programs to migrant communities. They staffed an exhibit table, provided dozens of resources, and had fruitful conversations with the other attendees that will likely lead to further connections and speaking engagements.
The team in Michigan also continues to prepare for the regional training workshop and is excited to welcome everyone to Ann Arbor in mid-July.
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Emily Doosing, 4-H specialist and outreach coordinator with Missouri AgrAbility, continues to work on 4-H Clown Colleges in summer school programs throughout the Southeast region, including Butler, Carter, Oregon, Reynolds, Ripley, and Shannon counties. Staff are beginning to transition planning to "4-H Days at the Lake" in collaboration with the Army Corp of Engineers at Lake Wappapello. More
Mackenzie Bevins, occupational therapy student with the department of occupational therapy at the University of Missouri continues to complete her doctoral capstone with Missouri AgrAbility. More
On June 20, Lincoln University Innovative Small Farmers' Outreach Program Farm Outreach Worker Mary Keeter conducted a drip irrigation workshop at the African Methodist Church small-scale farm and garden plots. Participants included volunteers with limited mobility who are now able to water their garden plots without assistance.
Missouri AgrAbility was incorporated into the BIA-MO Camp for Survivors of Brain Injury and Family Members as the agriculture track sponsor. The featured arts and crafts project was planting marigolds. More
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Emily Jacobson, program manager, Nebraska AgrAbility, co-presented with Pearson Physical Therapy in Broken Bow, Nebraska. Five staff and 15 other individuals learned more about AgrAbility and how the program can assist farmers and ranchers. More
Nebraska AgrAbility is excited to be sending Kara Brichacek and Teresa Duffek to the Michigan regional workshop in July. Kara and Teresa are Nebraska AgrAbility's new rural rehabilitation specialists. More
Emily and Teresa have been busy with client services throughout the state. It has been a very busy spring and beginning of summer for Nebraska AgrAbility.
Easterseals Nebraska just signed another yearly contract to provide AgrAbility assessments for Nebraska Vocational Rehabilitation. This continues to allow the program to serve more clients, and staff are grateful for this continued opportunity to provide VR with these assessments.
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The Nebraska AgrAbility team met in-person on June 28 in Kearney, Nebraska. This meeting was an opportunity for the team to plan for the program year and get to know new team members Kara Brichacek, Teresa Duffek, and Ashley Ahrens.
Emily and Kara are beginning to research more about creating a monthly newsletter that can be sent out featuring Nebraska AgrAbility. If anyone currently does this and has any tips for us, please reach out!!
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The NM AgrAbility summer 2024 newsletter is published to the project website: https://agrability.nmsu.edu/documents/2024_NMAP_SummerNewsletter.pdf
Seven farm apprentices continue to learn farm techniques at the NM Agrability Albuquerque farm sites and at partnering organic farms in the community. With flash-flood rains and 100+ temperatures, the work is hard. More
Incoming farm site evaluator Carmen McClelland just became official. Carmen brings a wealth of assistive technology and task analysis experience and is a welcome addition to the team.
NMAP director Robert Hagevoort has been strengthening relationships with the Navajo Sustainable Agriculture II Project (NSAII) in support of Navajo farmers and ranchers.
NM team members are diligently planning details for the "a day on the farm" event for NM DVR workers in the fall and for the 2025 NTW in beautiful Las Cruces, NM.
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NC AgrAbility continues to expand its impact through strategic partnerships and dedicated outreach efforts. A new partnership with Ag Mediation NC & VA, a program of Western Carolina University, has provided valuable services, including business planning, credit review, heirs' property assistance, and farm planning, enhancing our support for clients. More | |
The NC A&T agromedicine team engaged with NC AgrAbility non-profit partner Easterseals UCP on a social care farming project as a means to better understand the impact of an accessible garden site on the well-being of residents and staff at a resident home. Partnerships have been developed with Home Depot and Scott's to provide additional volunteers, plants, and materials for an install. More
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NCA&T researchers Crystal Cook Marshall and Sydney Davis Richardson presented on their nine-person research project on BIPOC farmer stress/anxiety, extreme weather, and leadership to 25 section attendees at the International Society for Agricultural Safety and Health (ISASH) Conference in Portland, OR, in June 2024.
Marshall and Richardson also presented on their research project on BIPOC farmer stress/anxiety, extreme weather, and leadership to 125 section attendees at the American Meteorological Society Broadcasters Communicating Extreme Weather conference in Myrtle Beach, SC June 2024.
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NC AgrAbility director Crystal Cook Marshall presented on NC AgrAbility and discussed partnering with farmers on an ergonomic and/or repetitive stress reducing "toolkit" to be piloted and researched for efficacy through NC AgrAbility's current SARE grant.
Crystal Cook Marshall stocked a set of items to prevent or reduce injury to farmworkers for assessment and feedback with Vecinos, a farmworker-serving medical agency in western NC. Using a grasstops assessment approach, medical professionals advised on best interventions for farmworkers to reduce pain, risk of injury, and reduce incidence of repetitive stress. More
Crystal Cook Marshall trained farmworker health workers from Access East in Stop the Bleed, which they plan to bring to 30 producers and more than 600 farmworkers in July alone. Cook Marshall and Access East discussed additional lower costs interventions to prevent farmworker injury and will pilot a similar approach to interventions in July as that started with Vecinos in June.
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Ohio AgrAbility staff started the summer strong with outreach and AT. OAP staff presented "Gardening with Arthritis" to a variety of groups, from a garden club at a Columbus retirement residence to the American Conifer Society. More
Disability Services Coordinator Laura Akgerman passed the RESNA AT Professionals exam and is excited to join the growing ranks of AgrAbility ATPs. Laura was one of several SRAP staff who participated in the RESNA ATP exam preparation classes sponsored by NAP in fall 2023. More
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Happy Summer from TN! Farmers are busy planting (been a wet spring) and trying to stay cool.
TN AgrAbility and UT MANAGE had a joint meeting with the Department of Human Services Division of Rehabilitation Services/Vocational Rehabilitation Program (DVR). DVR is the main state funding source for assistive technology that assists people in getting back to their work and careers. More
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A Giles County livestock farmer with back/knee/mobility issues received a feed bin to assist with feed flow in to his UTV cake box. The feed bin and UTV cake box was funded by TN Vocational Rehabilitation Services.
TN AgrAbility exhibited at the Fruits of the Backyard Field Day, displaying assistive technology gardening tools.
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On June 4, AgrAbility of Utah staff were excited to set up a table at the USU Dairy Producer Field Day in Logan, Utah, and meet with many dairy producers from northern Utah. Some of the many classes included milking technology, irrigation technology, and risk management. More
AgrAbility staff were able to present to participants of the Sustainable Grazing Institute in Kaysville, Utah, on June 5th. In this hands-on, two-day class, members learned about grazing cell design, forage estimation, weed management, and many other topics.
On June 13th, AgrAbility of Utah staff met with staff from the Utah State Office of Rehabilitation to address any barriers and learn more about each other's organization.
AgrAbility staff presented to members of the Cache Interagency Council in Logan, UT on June 24th.
On June 28th, AgrAbility staff set up a table and assisted with the Roads To Independence Community Partner's Fourth of July BBQ. This event is designed to let the public know about the various community partners, and the services offered. More
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As the peak of summer approaches, the Virginia team continues to share AgrAbility throughout the state. Field staff attended the Amelia County Fair where more than 570 attendees passed through and learned about AgrAbility Virginia in the mobile education unit.
Meanwhile, final preparations were made for an assistive technology workshop at Virginia State University in July. In collaboration with NAP and the Life Project, it provided hands-on demonstrations, thought-provoking discussions, and a chance to explore cutting-edge technologies that enhance the quality of life for individuals with diverse needs.
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Don McMoran was in Yap, Micronesia, doing a farmer focus conference with Dr. Kuan Chen of the University of Guam. Don was able to spend one night on the Island of Guam to view the hotel that has been selected to host the western region AgrAbility conference, and it looks like a great location. The University of Guam is pulling out all the stops, so make sure to book early as October is right around the corner.
In June, Deb Eidsness and Kyrstin Szewczyk, OTR/L, went to Carnation Farms and focused on four main subjects for a class. The first focus of the class was planting/field work; recommendations were made for improving body mechanics, and ergonomic tools were trialed by the farmers while actively planting. More
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AgrAbility of Wisconsin staff exhibited at the Wisconsin FFA Convention Expo on June 12th. AAW staff had the opportunity to speak with a number of FFA members and shared examples of assistive technology and provided information for attendees to take home to family members that could benefit from AgrAbility services.
AgrAbility of Wisconsin's outreach program coordinator, Michelle Bachand, presented an overview of the AAW program at a regional field day on June 25th that provided professional development opportunities to Extension agriculture educators.
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As co-coordinators Alyssa Wade and Emily Whittier have accepted new positions, their previously held part-time positions have been combined into one position that has been advertised and interviewed for, and the position has been offered and verbally accepted. Their first day is Monday, July 8th so stay tuned to the next e-Note as we release the contact information of our new full-time Washington State AgrAbility co-coordinator located in Yakima County of Washington State. | |
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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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