During the month of October, AgrAbility projects from 20 states nationwide will join together to participate in an AgrAbility Virtual State Fair online. This is a great opportunity to provide resources and information to farmers, ranchers, and agricultural workers who are working in production agriculture with a disability while also raising awareness about the project and the good they do throughout the year. The National AgrAbility Project is involved with farmers who have a disability, functional limitation, or health condition.
Beginning October 1, every day a different state will highlight how it supports and serves this critically important population within that state’s agricultural employment landscape. Content will be posted on Facebook and on Twitter. Learn more about the event at agrability.org.
For example, Georgia’s Commissioner of Agriculture Gary W. Black said, “Let’s take technology, let’s take what we are capable of doing, and enable people. Give them the ability to fulfill what’s in your blood.”
The National AgrAbility Project and other state projects that will participate throughout the month of October include: Alaska, California, Colorado, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. Reach out to your local state staff to learn more about their services.
The AgrAbility VSF will occur as AgrAbility celebrates its 30th anniversary this fall. First authorized in the 1990 Farm Bill (with funding appropriations beginning in 1991), AgrAbility is a grant-funded project through the United States Department of Agriculture and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
AgrAbility consists of the National AgrAbility Project (NAP) and State/Regional AgrAbility Projects (SRAPs). Each project must involve a collaboration between a land-grant university and at least one non-profit disability services organization.
