Progress 09/01/23 to 08/31/24

Outputs
Target Audience:Farmers with disabilities who are not farming at the level desired. OT/PT who care for farmers with disabilites, extension personnel who have farmers in their counties that request services, vocational rehabilitation specialists who have farm clients Changes/Problems:During this reporting period, our Co-PI, Rebecca Brightwell, passed away after an extended illness. This led to a change in some of the workflows for our program. All of the new processes are in place and we are moving forward with all of the planned objectives. Zolinda Stoneman, Director of the Institute on Human Development and Disability, will be taking over as Co-PI. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?A total of 296 people were trained providing 311.75 contact hours of instruction. Highlights include: 37 extension agents were provided a lecture and a hands-on assistive technology showcase with the mobile learning lab. Staff trained 13 new Agriculture and Natural Resource agents on farm safety and AgrAbility. Some of the agents are working in counties that have current AgrAbility clients. Georgia AgrAbility presented at the National Training Workshop about Assistive Technology for Hitching on the farm, Identifying Assistant Technology for Clients that typically may be considered equipment, Mobile Learning Lab Outdoor Show and tell. It was intended to allow other SRAPS to get ideas for their programs. We have continued to assist other states in learning how to use Asana for client management. 9 farmers and community members attended a workshop for Tractor Safety that taught them how to drive and operate farm machinery in a safe manner. 78 therapists, agricultural professionals, and disability professionals attended the three webinars on assistive technology that we hosted led by Dr. Therese Willkomm. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?We utilize a wide array of communication channels, including website, Facebook, mailing lists, YouTube, presentations/workshops, partner agencies, student projects, and media publications. We participated in the AgrAbility Virtual State Fair and hosted the AgrAbility National Training Workshop with all of the other AgrAbility States to make stakeholders more aware of the services that AgrAbility offers. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Have at least 60 farmers with an active case load. Recruit customers through exrtension and ourtreach activities and perform onsite assessments Serve 5 farmers using the Mobile Learning Lab for assessment purposes. At least five individuals leave the Shepherd Center having completed a tool assessment Conduct at least 3 volunteer days at custiomer farms We will have at least six farmers that us our AT loand program We wil have 5 workshops and 3 webinars to at lerast 150 people WE will assist in pgatting at least 50 veterans to join the FVC chapter in Georgia Provide at least 2 presentations to FVSU agents and farmers Conduct agent training to at least 75 agents Will work with mainstream and UGA medi to share stories of farmers and events WE will maintain a social presence on Facebook (post at least 4 times per month) and update our website at least once per month

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? DIRECT ASSISTANCE Site Visits - Our work plan objective is to serve at least 60 farmers a year (16 new and 44 continuing). For the current year, we have 79 active AgrAbility customers and conducted over 28 site visits with over 70 hours of on-the-farm technical assistance. We had several volunteer days at client farms. AgrAbility staff have worked hard to provide farmers with the resources needed in the form of assistive technology or worksite modifications. Over $16,000 was secured in items, installations, and fabrications for clients. This was made possible by our work with GVRA and other funding agencies. EDUCATION Georgia AgrAbility works diligently to provide training opportunities that will benefit our farmers and the professionals who serve farmers. We were excited to host the AgrAbility National Training Workshop this year in Atlanta. This event is the premier event addressing issues of disability in agriculture. This event had the largest number of attendees to an AgrAbility National Training workshop in the history of the event. Other events have included a Tractor Safety Workshop, UGA Extension Continuing Education, Assistive Technology Webinars, and multiple Ag Awareness Days. 1,343 people participated in the events. Highlighted events include: The AgrAbility National Training Workshop is the premier event addressing issues of disability in agriculture. This event had the largest number of attendees to an AgrAbility National Training workshop in the history of the event. The event included plenary sessions, breakouts, tours, and networking. Georgia AgrAbility staff gave presentations during three of the breakout sessions. The Mobile Learning Lab was used to provide training for professionals by showcasing assistive technology that is used by farmers and how it can keep them in their chosen occupation after an illness or injury. We were able to train 137 professionals representing many different organizations. Staff worked with the Shepherd Center to help address safety issues in a Tool Evaluation program for patients. The Shepherd Center is one of the Nation's leading brain and spinal cord injury hospitals. Staff worked to develop tool sheets for the Shepherd Center that outline correct tool use and provide the therapists with videos to watch before working with a patient. In addition, the Shepherd Center provided a tour as part of the National Training Workshop that we hosted. Attendees were able to see the different therapy programs for spinal cord and traumatic brain injury. NETWORKING In this reporting period, we have increased the networking with agricultural organizations using our board and connections with the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Networking. The networking events that we attended led to a total of 375 connections. The staff has been very engaged in networking with other SRAPS and NAP. Georgia AgrAbility always attends the AgrAbility all staff meetings and participates in the monthly ENOTE. This year our biggest networking event came with hosting the AgrAbility NTW in Atlanta. We were able to make many of the states feel welcome and showcase Georgia client success stories. In addition, Georgia has been promoting AgrAbility efforts across the Southern Region by having Florida and South Carolina join us at the Sunbelt Ag Expo in Moultrie, GA. Georgia AgrAbility also had a staff member on the National AgrAbility Advisory Board representing the state programs for this grant year. Staff have also presented in NAPs AgrAbility Zoom Discussions: AT Expos. Georgia is also helping to represent the National AgrAbility Project at the Amputee Coalition Annual Conference. Staff is also participating on the NTW planning committee for 2025. AgrAbility in Georgia continues to place an emphasis on outreach and support for Georgia's veteran farmers. Our Veteran Coordinator continues connecting people to resources and developing the critical network for veteran farmers. Local and regional veteran-friendly events hosted by various state veteran organizations have been essential to the growth of these networks. The Georgia Chapter of the Farmer Veteran Coalition continues to engage in discussions towards formation while outreach and organization membership grows. Attendance at the Farmer Veteran Coalition Annual Stakeholders event was conducted in November in Washington, DC. Over 250 veteran farmers and organizations attended with outreach conducted over the 3-day event. Community suicide prevention coalitions across South Georgia continue to be active in supporting veterans through various community events focused on positive mental health and providing resources and ongoing support. A rural stress panel was hosted during the Farm Stress Summit where the UGA Veterans Ag Coordinator was able to highlight many of the specific programs and organizations for veterans and farmers. Attendance for the event was near 200 with over 50 direct contacts at the event and multiple ongoing engagements following. We have focused on promoting increased health and wellness for our farmers around stress mitigation efforts. We formed a major partnership with the Georgia Agriculture Wellness Alliance which works toward a common goal of improving the well-being of farmers and farming communities in Georgia. MARKETING We had great exposure in the media this year with the AgrAbility National Training Workshop. In addition, one of our farmers won the American Farm Bureau Farm Dog of the Year Award. We were featured in the Farm Monitor TV Show. In addition, farmer stories were featured in the University of Georgia Cultivate outreach effort. Stories were also shared online by the UGA College of Family and Consumer Sciences, The Georgia Virtue, Georgia Farm Bureau Online News, Georgia Farm Bureau Magazine, Farm and Dairy, WJBF, RFD-TV, KFGO, WAFB, PetHelpful, Acres TV, Weather & Ag in Focus, Progressive Farmer, Georgia Recorder, Morning Ag Clips, Yahoo, Albany Herald, Ground News, and many more. This year we focused on attending a combination of large and small agricultural events across Georgia. We had a booth at the Sunbelt Ag Expo, the Small Farm Conference, GA Beef Day, Village Community Garden May Day, agrileadHER, and the Amputee Coalition Conference. We had a total reach of 10,099. This year was very successful in marketing for us. We switched over our website to a new platform and design. We also switch over our Facebook from an individual account to a page. We also participated in the National AgrAbility Virtual State Fair. The website has a reach of 2,899 and our Facebook account had a reach of 2310.

Publications

Progress 09/01/22 to 08/31/23

Outputs
Target Audience:Agricultural workers with chronic health conditions and disabilities. Rural individuals seeking self-employment in agriculture related enterprises. Health professionals who serve agricultural workers. General community members with an interest in agriculture. During this past year we have maintained contact and provided services for our current enrollees, current farmers needing assistance. We have had veterans sign up for services who are new farmers and need assistance with finding resources, learning the business of farming, and/or writing business plans. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?A total of 698 people were trained providing 2,853 contact hours of instruction. Highlights include: 35 extension agents were provided a lecture and a hands-on assistive technology showcase with the mobile learning lab. Staff trained 10 new Agriculture and Natural Resource agents on farm safety and AgrAbility. Some of the agents are working in counties that have current AgrAbility clients. Georgia AgrAbility presented at the National Training Workshop about what tools we carry in our work trucks in order to serve our clients through installations. It was intended to allow other SRAPS to get ideas for their programs. Florida and South Carolina AgrAbility are in the beginning years of their first grant. Georgia shared strategies that have been successful for our project over the years. 70 Georgia Agriculture Teachers have been trained in assistive technologies and worksite modifications that allow everyone to be productive in agriculture. 120 people attended a panel at the Georgia Farm Stress Summit to hear how AgrAbility can reduce farmer stress by keeping farmer productive. 19 farmers and community members attended a workshop for Tractor Safety that taught them how to drive and operate farm machinery in a safe manner. 70 farmers and community members attended the Gardening with Arthritis Workshop which taught participants effective strategies to reduce the pain that they feel while growing and raising plants. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?We utilize a wide array of communication channels, including website, Facebook, mailing lists, YouTube, presentations/workshops, partner agencies, student projects, and media publications. We participated in the AgrAbility Virtual State Fair with all of the other AgrAbility State to make stakeholders more aware of the services that AgrAbility offers. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We will continue meeting the objectives and goals as outlined in the workplan through extensive education, outreach, marketing and assistive technology activities.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? DIRECT ASSISTANCE Site Visits - Our work plan objective is to serve at least 60 farmers a year (16 new and 44 continuing). For the current year, we have 76 active AgrAbility customers and conducted over 53 site visits with over 200 hours of on-the-farm technical assistance. We provided business planning services for 11 AgrAbility customers. We had several volunteer days at customer farms. AgrAbility staff have worked hard to provide farmers with the resources needed in the form of assistive technology or worksite modifications. Over $115,000 was secured in items, installations, and fabrications for clients. This was made possible by our work with GVRA and other funding agencies. EDUCATION Georgia AgrAbility works diligently to provide training opportunities that will benefit our farmers and professionals who serve farmers. Events have included a Tractor Safety Workshop, Gardening with Arthritis Workshop, What Tools Do You Have in Your AgrAbilty Truck Presentation, Ag Awareness Day, and the Georgia Farm Stress Summit. 359 people participated in the events. Highlighted events include: Our farmers have expressed concerns about finding labor to help on their operations. In order to assist them we hosted a webinar on the H2A program. 21 people attended to be able to hear about the benefits and logistics involved with the H2A workers. We offered 3 Question Persuade Refer (QPR trainings) and 9 Mental Health First Aid trainings. All of the trainings have been adapted for the farming community. Participants learn about AgrAbility during the training. A total of 310 people attended. The Mobile Learning Lab was used to provide trainings for professionals by showcasing assistive technology that is used by farmers and how it can keep them in their chosen occupation after an illness or injury. We were able to train 124 professionals representing three different organizations. Staff worked with the Shepherd Center to help address safety issues in a Tool Evaluation program for patients. The Shepherd Center is one of the Nation's leading brain and spinal cord injury hospitals. Staff taught Occupational, Physical, and Recreational Therapists on tool safety so they will be able to evaluate their patients' ability to operate power tools in a safe manner. 12 professionals attended the training. NETWORKING In this reporting period, we have increased the networking with agricultural organizations through our advisory board. The board is very excited about Georgia hosting the 2024 AgrAbility NTW and they are already providing us with great ideas and connections for the conference. The staff has been very engaged in networking with other SRAPS and NAP. Georgia AgrAbility always attends the AgrAbility all staff meetings and participates in the montly ENOTE. In addition, Georgia has meet with the new AgrAbility programs in Florida and South Carolina to help provide them with assistance as they get started. Florida AgrAbility was also able to join us during the Sunbelt Ag Expo in October. AgrAbility in Georgia has amplified its efforts to recruit and serve military veterans who are farming. Our Veteran Agriculture Liaison has played a critical role on in the formation of the Georgia Farmer Veteran Coalition Chapter. We are responsible for the initial contact to National FVC to start the interest meeting among members in Georgia. 119 FVC members in Georgia responded positively to the Georgia Chapter Interest Request. The Georgia Chapter Organizing Committee was formed and it includes an AgrAbility Staff meeting. The group is now meeting monthly to move forward with the incorporation process. We have focused on promoting increased health and wellness for our farmers around stress mitigation efforts. We formed a major partnership with the Georgia Agriculture Wellness Alliance which works toward a common goal of improving the well-being of farmers and farming communities in Georgia. In addition, we made community partnerships with over 54 organizations that we hope will allow us to better serve the farmers and rural communities in Georgia. MARKETING The program has had great success with having farmer stories featured this year. The Georgia Grown Magazine did an article about two of our farmer clients that we have worked with. In addition, farmer stories were featured in the University of Georgia Magazine. Stories were also shared online by the UGA College of Family and Consumer Sciences, Albany Herald, Henry Herald, Yahoo Lifestyle, and Yahoo Sports. All of the publications had an estimated reach of 550,000. Highlights include: We had booths at the three largest agriculture conferences in our state ( Sunbelt Agriculture Exposition, Georgia Farm Bureau Annual Convention, Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference) reaching an estimated 10,040 people. The program utilized social media very well during this time period with a reach of 1493. We also participated in the National AgrAbility Virtual State Fair. In addition, our website had over 10,000 views which help to bring people to our project. Our email mailing list has 1,081 subscribers. We stay in contact with them on a regular basis. Quality of Life: During this reporting period, the Georgia AgrAbility team actively participated in the NAP Quality of Life Research Study, which includes attending the quarterly NAP Evaluation Committee meetings and forwarding pre/post data to the Evaluation Chair as requested. We had four new clients participate in the Quality of Life Pre-Survey. We continue to promote QOL to all of our farmers.

Publications