Progress 08/15/18 to 08/14/23
Outputs
Target Audience:Texas AgrAbility provided education, training, direct assistance and marketing of program offerings to beginning and currentfarmers, military veterans with disabilities, as well as, expanded our program outreach to a sizeable, underserved audience ofHispanic farmers, farmworkers and migrants farmworkers Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Texas AgrAbility has provided support to the migrant and Hispanic farmworker program coordinator through professional development support in translating materials. The program coordinator was supported through 30 hours of RESNA training in assistive?technology fundamentals to better support assistive technology recommendations for clients. Texas AgrAbility staff participated in 37 educational webinars/events geared toward migrantand Hispanic farmworkers to better serve the population. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Monthly updates are sent to the advisory committee and stakeholder group to share resources and collaborate on upcoming initiatives. Four project briefs were developed and disseminated through the Texas AgrAbility website to demonstrate impact of the project each year. These briefs included target populations and goals met. Texas AgrAbility was featured at 6 different national training workshops and conferences as presentations. These presentations were utilized to educate industry professionals on serving farmers and ranchers with disabilities. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Goal 1 - Provide Education Texas AgrAbility has provided educational training to 3047 individuals resulting in 7524 educational contact hours. Overall satisfaction rate of Texas AgrAbility training is 3.9 out of a 4 point scale. The Texas AgrAbility course AgrAbility for Occupational Therapists was developed in partnership with students at the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences. The course includes 8 modules designed to inform occupational therapy practitioners, in all settings, on how to improve OT services provided to farmers and ranchers with a disability. The course is approved through the Texas Occupational Therapists Association for 6 hours of Continuing Education Credits. An average knowledge gain of course completions from pre to post was 37%. The Serving Farmworkers with Disabilities and Health Conditions course was designed to educate service providers of farmworkers how to identify challenges and improve services for farmworkers with disabilities and chronic health conditions with input from TWC Migrant Seasonal Farmworker personnel.The course has had 5 enrollments with a 57% average knowledge gain from pre to post. Eight educational fact sheets have been made available in English and Spanish to educate farmers, ranchers, and farmworkers with disabilities. Topics include arthritis, injury prevention for the back, diabetes and nutrition education, tennis elbow, and traumatic brain injury. 625 fact sheets have been disseminated at events, through the website for download, and to stakeholders. Goal 2 - Networking/Increase the Service Capacity Texas AgrAbility staff have facilitated partnerships with the Texas Workforce Commission Migrant and Hispanic Farmworker program to enhance training for TWC staff on needs of farmers and ranchers with disabilities. Referral processes, an online course, and educational resources for migrant and Hispanic farmworkers has been developed and disseminated to TWC staff. Texas AgrAbility has included migrant and seasonal farmworker stakeholders to the advisory committee including the TWC state monitor advocate and the Texas Mexico Border Coalition. Texas AgrAbility has facilitated partnerships with Occupational Therapy groups through the University of St. Augustine to develop capstone projects serving farmers and ranchers with disabilities. Students worked alongside Texas AgrAbility staff to develop courses, educational materials, and assist with farm and ranch assessment recommendations. Research projects were also conducted to demonstrate the impact of continuing education for OT's in rural settings. The research was presented at the American Occupational Therapy Association's national conference. Texas AgrAbility partnered with Engineering students from West Texas A&M University to provide in-kind support of over $50,000 in assistive technology modifications to farmers and ranchers who did not qualify for vocational rehabilitation services. Goal 3 - Assistance Texas AgrAbility has served 130 agriculture producers with disabilities through work-site assessment and resource connections to assistive technologies and funding. An estimated $350,000+ in assistive technology recommendations were provided to clients to help increase accessibility on their farm or ranch. Texas AgrAbility partnered with Engineering students from West Texas A&M University to provide in-kind support of over $50,000 in assistive technology modifications to farmers and ranchers who did not qualify for vocational rehabilitation services. Texas AgrAbility has increased their service capacity to migrant and Hispanic farmers and farmworkers by adding 12 clients since the start of the project. That results in a 200% increase in migrant and Hispanic farmers/farmworkers with disabilities served from prior years. 9 clients were directly referred to Vocational Rehabilitation from Texas AgrAbility to help support their employment goals through agriculture and assistive technology. 14 clients were provided onsite farm and ranch assessments supported by Vocational Rehabilitation. These assessments included occupational therapists, agricultural engineers, and disability specialists. Through our contract with the Texas Workforce Commission Vocational Rehabilitation, Texas AgrAbility was able to provide Texas AgrAbility clients with $249,664 dollars in assistive technology recommendations to Vocational Rehabilitation co-shared clients to improve access and accessibility to their farm or ranch. 26 military veterans were referred to Texas AgrAbility from the BattleGround to Breaking Ground Program. These clients were provided support through business planning and resource connection to help start their agriculture operation with a disability. Goal 4 - Marketing and Outreach Project brochures, displays, and marketing materials were revised to include migrant and seasonal farmworker services. All marketing materials were translated to Spanish and disseminated to stakeholders. Three communities of interest were developed (Texas Agriculture Health, Migrant & Hispanic Farmers, and Veterans in Agriculture) to disseminate relevant resources, events, and services for each target population. There are currently 304 members to those groups that include regular postings. Texas AgrAbility has garnered a large social media presence, ranking #2 in followers among AgrAbility projects throughout the nation with over 1,500 followers. The project also runs a YouTube channel with 303 subscribers and 26 educational videos. Three client testimonials were produced and disseminated to communities of interest and through the website to demonstrate the impact of Texas AgrAbility's work with farmers and ranchers with disabilities. Those testimonial videos have over 250 views to date. Texas AgrAbility collaborated with Ohio AgrAbility for a feature story in AgMag, a national agriculture publication with over 50,000 in readership. The article highlighted a veteran and Texas AgrAbility client who utilized assistive technology recommended by Texas AgrAbility to continue farming and serve his community during the Covid-19 pandemic Introductory videos for migrant and Hispanic farmworkers were developed in Spanish to bring awareness to Texas AgrAbility services for the target population of migrant and Hispanic farmworkers.
Publications
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Progress 08/15/21 to 08/14/22
Outputs
Target Audience:The Texas AgrAbility project's primary target audience is farmers and ranchers and those interested in starting agriculture businesses with disabilities, chronic health conditions, and functional limitations in agriculture. Other target audiences include connected communities (producers, family members, farmworkers, service providers, and agiruculture professionals). An emphasis on serving migrant and Hispanic farmworkers and military veterans. Changes/Problems:Covid-19 significantly impacted the project's ability to reach the target audiences in-person. Most affected was the migrant & Hispanic farmworker community. In-person outreach is a primary means of reaching the population; which, became nonexistent until May of 2021. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Texas AgrAbility staff have provided 3 educationaltrainings on AgrAbility services to Texas Workforce Commission's vocational rehabilitation counselors and 2 worksite assessment trainings to Occupational Therapy student and professor. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? A monthly update is sent to the Texas AgrAbility advisory committee and stakeholder group to share resources and collaborate on upcoming events and relevant industry topics. All Texas AgrAbility marketing materials were disseminated to project partners and stakeholders for dissemination at industry events and through industry networks. A project brief was developed to highlight accomplishments of the Texas AgrAbility project in 2021. The brief was disseminated to stakeholders and advisory committee members as well as posted on the website. An educational training "How do we Educate Military Veterans as Successful Beginning Farmers?" was provided to AgrAbility staff at the National Training Workshop. The training provided research data to support increased quality of life for military veterans served by Texas AgrAbility. An occupational therapy doctoral student from University of St. Augustine conducted a research study to determine the efficacy of the Occupational Therapy online course. The research includes a focus group to gather qualitative and quantitative data. The data will provide insight for the further development and improvement of the Occupational Therapy course in meeting the needs of rural practitioners. The results will be submitted for journal publication and presentations at national occupational therapy conferences. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?The Texas AgrAbility Award No. 2018-41590-28725 will be expiring on August 14th; however, I would like to request a 12 month no cost extension to complete grant deliverables, which are listed below. Due to COVID 19 pandemic impacts we were unable to connect well with the Hispanic and migrant/seasonal farmer worker population and the agencies that support these groups. As Texas AgriLife Extension employees we were not allowed to travel for an extended time and when things opened, travel was very limited. We would like to have extended time as travel across Texas has opened and we again as Extension employees are allowed to travel. Additionally, Texas Workforce Commission personnel are also now back in their offices as of 5/1/2022. Additionally, the development of regional assessment teams has been significantly impacted by COVID 19 pandemic as the restriction on travel and the inability to connect broadly with the persons that need to be involved has been difficult if not impossible. With travel opening visits will be made in person and trainings held for hispanic and migrant seasonal farmworker agency personnel that support this/these populations.A schedule for delivery of the Webinar series will be established with these agencies. Additionally, in person or virtual meetings will be held with Extension RPD's and ag extension agents. Ag Agents in 6 regions will be identified to support the development of regional assessment teams. Tasks still in process: Delivery of Webinar series to agencies that support Migrant and Seasonal Farm Workers Increase the number of Hispanic and Migrant/Seasonal Farm Workers served By Texas AgrAbility Add Hispanic and Migrant/Seasonal Farm Workers to the Project Advisory Group Assist TWC VR and TWC Migrant/Seasonal Farm program personnel to establish a referral process for this population Translate all materials to Spanish Develop outreach and marketing plan with agency partners for Hispanic and migrant/seasonal farm worker populations Identify, secure, and train regional assessment teams
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Goal 1- Provide Education Texas AgrAbility produced an 8-module course "Working with Farmers & Ranchers with Disabilities: An AgrAbility Resource for Occupational Therapy Practitioners" with educational videos and supporting materials and resources for occupational therapists and rural health practitioners. The course includes 10 hours of educational content with pre & post knowledge gain and is accredited through the Texas Occupational Therapy Association for 10 CEUs. 95 individuals have completed the Occupational Therapy course with pre to post knowledge gain of 33.8% Due to the rise in Covid cases near our proposed workshop locations, in-person educational workshops for starting rural ag businesses were limited. As an alternative, in partnership with BattleGround to Breaking Ground, Texas AgrAbility launched an online course. 125 individuals with disabilities have completed the online Phase 1 introduction to agriculture business course with a pre to post knowledge gain of 3.9 on a 5 point scale Texas AgrAbility held/participated in 18 educational trainings conducted both virtually and in person reaching 1009 individuals resulting in 3197 educational hours. Educational Fact Sheet "Lateral Epicondylitis (Tennis Elbow)" is in the process of development in collaboration with a University of St. Augustine occupational therapy student. Texas AgrAbility staff hosted 2 in-person farm and ranch assessment trainings with occupational therapy professionals. 2 educational webinars for migrant and seasonal farmworkers were hosted to provide education to migrant and seasonal farmworker service providers. The webinars "" and "" were attended by 40 individuals with a 4 out of 5 satisfaction rate. Texas AgrAbility staff provided 2 educational trainings as part of the AgrAbility National Training Workshop in Madison, Wisconsin which reached roughly 150 AgrAbility service providers. Goal 2- Networking The Texas AgrAbility video blog series featured a mental health in agriculture highlight from a veteran farmer and mental health therapist. The series promoted resources for seeking mental health services for farmers, ranchers, and military veterans. The video blog series also featured two client testimonials to promote services provided by Texas AgrAbility. Texas AgrAbility has facilitated partnerships with other AgrAbility migrant and seasonal farmworker outreach personnel to enhance our reach to the population. Texas AgrAbility was part of a call with other state AgrAbility projects and migrant and seasonal farmworker groups to collaborate on ideas for serving migrant and seasonal farmworkers with disabilities. Three interactive forums were utilized to promote resource sharing and connections between clients and service providers. Forum members include clients, stakeholders, partners, and those with shared interests. The Texas Agriculture Health forum has 12 members, Migrant and Hispanic Farmers forum has 8 members, and Veterans in Agriculture forum has 38 members, with over 205 posts to the forums. Texas AgrAbility hosted 4 educational webinars based on topics of interest submitted by the communities of interest. "Navigating Advocacy & Vocational Rehab for Self-Employment", "AgrAbility Services for BattleGround to Breaking Ground Participants", Disability in the Agriculture Workplace for Migrant & Seasonal Farmworkers, and "Promoting Independent Living in Rural Communities". 158 individuals attended the webinars with a 4.2 % pre to post knowledge gain OR 4.5 satisfaction on a 5-point scale. The project advisory committee met quarterly, and a new client member was added. Texas AgrAbility staff collaborated with TWC Vocational Rehabilitation to establish a new protocol for referring AgrAbility clients for VR services. Texas AgrAbility published an annual impact brief that was disseminated to the project advisory committee, stakeholder group, and through the email newsletter. An occupational therapy doctoral student from Univeristy of St. Augustine conducted a research study to determine the efficacy of the Occupational Therapy online course. The research includes a focus group. Goal 3 - Assistance Texas AgrAbility conducted 5 onsite farm/ranch assessments that included over $85,000 in assistive technology recommendations for funding consideration to vocational rehabilitation and West Texas A&M University. Texas AgrAbility partnered with an occupational therapy student from University of St. Augustine, and agriculture engineer from Sam Houston State University, and an agriculture safety specialist from the Texas Transportation Institute to provide technical assistance for 2 clients. 3 clients have been referred to Vocational Rehabilitation by Texas AgrAbility staff, 4 clients have been referred from Vocational Rehabilitation to Texas AgrAbility for farm and ranch assessments or technical assistance services. 12 clients were referred to Texas AgrAbility from the BattleGround to Breaking Ground project for disability services and recommendations for assistive technology. Texas AgrAbility staff provided monthly case management for 59 agriculture producers with disabilities and military veterans with disabilities. Texas AgrAbility staff submitted a grant proposal for the AgrAbility grant in 2022 to continue to provide services for farmers and ranchers with disabilities in Texas. The Beginning Farmer Rancher Development Program Grant that Texas AgrAbility collaborated on was funded for 3 years ($750,000). A client information collection form was created in both English and Spanish for migrant and seasonal farmworkers. The form enables AgrAbility staff to collect data about disability, type of farm/ranch, tasks, equipment used, and resources accessed to better serve migrant and seasonal farmworkers with disabilities. Goal 4 - Marketing All Texas AgrAbility disseminated (285) marketing materials to project advisory committee members for dissemination at industry events to raise awareness of Texas AgrAbility programs and services Texas AgrAbility partnered with National AgrAbility to host a booth at the American Occupational Therapy Association national conference in San Antonio. 175 marketing and educational materials were disseminated to individuals throughout the conference. Migrant and seasonal farmworker coordinator attended the Midwest Stream Forum for Farmworker Health and provided 143 with information on AgrAbility services for migrant farmworkers and their employers. Two client testimonial videos were produced and shared through the email newsletter and YouTube channel to promote services provided to clients through Texas AgrAbility. Partnerships between vocational rehabilitation and the BattleGround to Breaking Ground program were highlighted as part of the videos. A migrant and seasonal farmworker brochure was developed and translated into Spanish to promote Texas AgrAbility services provided to the population. () brochures have been disseminated to date. The Texas AgrAbility delivers a monthly email newsletter highlighting upcoming events, assistive technology, resources for disabled and beginning farmers and ranchers, and highlighted client and partner stores. The newsletter currently has 1326 subscribers. The Texas AgrAbility Blog shares information, resources, and assistive technology. There are 56 blog posts with 1154 subscribers. The Texas AgrAbility Facebook page currently has 808 likes, 924 followers. Texas AgrAbility's Facebook page ranks #3 in likes between all AgrAbility projects. Planning Small Farms Facebook group has 1,856 members that share education and resources through an online web forum. Texas AgrAbility Twitter account currently has 163 followers. Texas AgrAbility Instagram account currently has 193 followers.
Publications
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Progress 08/15/20 to 08/14/21
Outputs
Target Audience:The Texas AgrAbility project's primary target audience is farmers and ranchers and those interested in starting agriculture businesses with disabilities, chronic health conditions, and functional limitations in agriculture. Other target audiences include connected communities (producers, family members, farmworkers, service providers, and agiruculture professionals. An emphasis on serving migrant and Hispanic farmworkers and military veterans. Changes/Problems:Covid-19 significantly impacted the project's ability to reach the target audiences in-person. Most affected wasthe migrant & Hispanic farmworker community. In-person outreach is a primary means of reaching the population;which, became non-existent since the pandemic. Revised marketing and networking strategies are being established, with the hope that in-person outreach will resume. Covid-19 also significantly impacted the ability to conduct farm and ranch assessments in-person. Virtual farm and ranch assessment protocols were established and implemented. Virtual workshops and webinar series were conducted in place of in-person events. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Texas AgrAbility provided a number of trainings and professional development opportunities the past year including the following: An online course platform was developed with 8 educational modules for educating occupational therapists working with rural populations. Topics include: agriculture worksite assessments, general farming tasks & hazards, health conditions in farming and associative careers, ergonomics and body mechanics, interventions, assistive technology devices, modifications, and AgrAbility services and resources. The online course will be submitted to the American Occupational Therapy Association for consideration for CEUs for practicing occupational therapists. Professional development and training presentations: Texas AgrAbility and Vocational Rehabilitation, Cultural Pluralism in Agriculture- Working with Individuals with Disabilities, Texas AgrAbility training for Farm Managers, Texas AgrAbility developed and delivered AgrAbility-Occupational Therapist training for occupational therapist students to educate about health and safety risks for farmers and ranchers and the farm assessment process. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Texas AgrAbility collaborated with Ohio AgrAbility for a feature story in AgMag, a national agriculture publication with over 50,000 in readership across the United States. A monthly update is sent to the Texas AgrAbility advisory committee and stakeholder group to share resources and collaborate on upcoming events and relevant industry topics. All Texas AgrAbility marketing materials were disseminated to project partners and stakeholders for sharing during the Covid-19 pandemic. A project brief was developed to highlight accomplishments of the Texas AgrAbility project in 2020. The brief was disseminated to stakeholders and advisory committee members as well as posted on the website. The Texas AgrAbility Blog shares information, resources, and assistive technology. There are 37 blog posts with 1154 subscribers. The Texas AgrAbility Facebook page currently has 808 likes, 924 followers. Texas AgrAbility's Facebook page ranks #3 in likes between all AgrAbility projects. Planning Small Farms Facebook group has 1,856 members that share education and resources through an online web forum. Texas AgrAbility Twitter account currently has 163 followers. Texas AgrAbility Instagram account currently has 198 followers. The Texas AgrAbility YouTube channel provides educational and promotional videos for the project. There are currently 189 subscribers with 65 educational videos posted with over 1,700 views in FY 2021 alone. The AgrAbility website content is updated on a regular base and is used to maximize project goals for marketing, education, and networking. The Texas AgrAbility website has had 21,198 unique visitors in FY 2021 thus far. A client testimonial have been developed from a Texas AgrAbility client, highlighting their experiences with the Texas AgrAbility Project and partners. Texas AgrAbility through newsletters with free email subscription provide program updates reaching 1154 subscribers. Project staff developed a project brief with accomplishments from 2020 highlighted. The brief was sent to project parters, stakeholders, and shared with communities of interest. It is available for download on the project website. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Texas AgrAbility will continue efforts to provide education to connected communities (producers, family members, farmworkers, service providers, agriculture professionals) to enhance the competencies to accommodate disabilities and avoid secondary injuries in persons with disabilities engaging in production agriculture. Texas AgrAbility will continue to build service capacity of through networking efforts designed to encourage the sharing of information among, and the provision of services for the direct benefit of Texas AgrAbility client. The project will prioritize networking with the migrant and Hispanic farming community with the goal of increasing migrant and Hispanic clients. Texas AgrAbility will provide direct assistance to clients and others working on the farm by providing individualize consultative services through farm/ worksite assessment including product selection advice, accessibility and ergonomic recommendations, life activities and farm operations planning guidance, advocacy to obtain services & financial aid, and connection to local resource teams that increases clients' access to their operations; thus enhancing success. The project will continue to conduct program marketing & outreach to increase project awareness with key audiences and expand outreach to the migrant and Hispanic farming community. New marketing plans will be implemented, considering the impacts of Covid-19.Texas AgrAbility Battle Ground to Breaking Ground will continue to conduct educational workshops/web seriesthat are of interest for Veteran beginning farmers. Texas AgrAbility will continue to collect outcome data for education, training programs and quality of life.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Goal 1- Provide Education Texas AgrAbility produced an 8-module course "AgrAbility for Occupational Therapists" with educational videos and supporting materials and resources for occupational therapists and rural health practitioners. The course includes 10 hours of educational content with pre & post knowledge gain. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, in-person educational workshops for starting rural ag businesses were not possible. As an alternative, in partnership with BattleGround to Breaking Ground filmed a 12-part educational series titled "Funding the Farm" to educate farmers and ranchers with disabilities and beginning farmers and ranchers on available funding assistance for agriculture operations. Texas AgrAbility staff in collaboration with occupational therapy students, developed a farm and ranch assessment worksheet with occupational assessment questions. The resource will be added to the "AgrAbility for Occupational Therapists" online course for free download. Texas AgrAbility held/participated in 9 educational trainings conducted virtually reaching 237 individuals resulting in 237 educational hours. Educational Fact Sheet "Diabetes, Hypertension, and Obesity" was developed in collaboration with the Texas A&M School of Public Health. The fact sheet is shared through the Texas AgrAbility website, is available for free download, and will be shared with the National AgrAbility Project database. Educational fact sheet "Traumatic Brain Injury in Agriculture" is in the process of development in collaboration with University of St. Augustine and Boston College occupational therapy students. The fact sheet will be translated to spanish and made available through free download on our website, as well as shared with the National AgrAbility project database. Goal 2- Networking Texas AgrAbility staff have facilitated partnerships with the Texas International Producer Association and Forum for Migrant & Community Health to enhance the reach of Texas AgrAbility to migrant and seasonal farmworkers and establish a robust variety of resources for this population's needs. Three interactive forums were created to promote resource sharing and connections between clients and service providers. Forum members include clients, stakeholders, partners, and those with shared interests. The forums are linked on the Texas AgrAbility website and are available through social media, as suggested by the needs assessment. The Texas Agriculture Health forum has 12 members, Migrant and Hispanic Farmers forum has 6 members, and Veterans in Agriculture forum has 29 members, with over 140 posts to the forums. A revised project advisory committee was established with clear goals and participation expectations for the year. The advisory committee includes representatives from migrant & Hispanic farmworker agencies (TWC Migrant & Hispanic Farmworker monitor advocate), AgrAbility clients, military veteran farmer/ranchers, the Brazos Valley Center for Independent Living, USDA agency representatives, Texas Department of Agriculture representative, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Agents, and NCAT representatives. A Texas AgrAbility stakeholder group was established to facilitate networking and event sharing. Stakeholder group includes representatives from veteran support organizations (Farmers Assisting Returning Military, VetAdvisors, Lonestar Military Farmers, Combined Arms, Farmer Veteran Coalition, Compatible Lands Foundation) and Texas agriculture organizations (Texas USDA, Farm Credit, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Texas State Soil & Water Conservation Board, Stiles Farm Foundation, Texas Center for Rural Entrepreneurship) Referral processes were established between Texas AgrAbility and Texas Workforce Commissions Migrant & Seasonal Farmworker Program (TWC MSFW). A form was developed for referrals to and from Texas AgrAbility to allow better communication from TWC MSFW personnel to better serve migrant & seasonal farmworkers with disabilities. Referral processes were established between Texas AgrAbility and the centers for independent living. A form was developed for referrals to and from Texas AgrAbility to provide a reciprocal referral avenue and connect Texas AgrAbility clients with independent living resources in their area. 3 clients were referred to centers for independent living through this process. Goal 3 - Assistance Texas AgrAbility conducted 3 onsite/virtual hybrid farm/ranch assessments that included over $50,000 in assistive technology recommendations for funding consideration to vocational rehabilitation. Texas AgrAbility partnered with engineering students from West Texas A&M University to provide technical assistance and equipment modifications for 2 clients in the Texas panhandle. Clients received innovative equipment modifications and assistive technology designed and manufactured by the students. These technologies filled gaps that could not be addressed by vocational rehabilitation. 2 clients have been referred to Vocational Rehabilitation by Texas AgrAbility staff, 2 clients have been referred from Vocational Rehabilitation to Texas AgrAbility for farm and ranch assessments. 6 clients were referred to Texas AgrAbility from the BattleGround to Breaking Ground project for disability services and recommendations for assistive technology. Texas AgrAbility staff provided monthly case management for 52 agriculture producers with disabilities and military veterans with disabilities to remain/begin in production agriculture through work-site assessment, individual consultation, and resource connections to assistive technologies and funding. Texas AgrAbility staff were part of a Beginning Farmer Rancher Development Program Grant submission in FY 2021. Goal 4 - Marketing Texas AgrAbility collaborated with Ohio AgrAbility for a feature story in AgMag, a national agriculture publication with over 50,000 in readership. The article highligted a veteran and Texas AgrAbility client who utilized assistive technology recommended by Texas AgrAbility to continue farming and serve his community during the Covid-19 pandemic All Texas AgrAbility marketing materials were disseminated to project partners and stakeholders for sharing during the Covid-19 pandemic. A Texas AgrAbility brochure for Migrant & Hispanic farmers and farmworkers was developed. The brochure will be disseminated at events in person when Covid-19 restrictions lift. A project brief was developed to highlight accomplishments of the Texas AgrAbility project in 2020. The brief was disseminated to stakeholders and advisory committee members as well as posted on the website. The Texas AgrAbility delivers a monthly email newsletter highlighting upcoming events, assistive technology, resources for disabled and beginning farmers and ranchers, and highlighted client and partner stores. The newsletter currently has 1154 subscribers. The Texas AgrAbility Blog shares information, resources, and assistive technology. There are 37 blog posts with 1154 subscribers. The Texas AgrAbility Facebook page currently has 808 likes, 924 followers. Texas AgrAbility's Facebook page ranks #3 in likes between all AgrAbility projects. Planning Small Farms Facebook group has 1,856 members that share education and resources through an online web forum. Texas AgrAbility Twitter account currently has 163 followers. Texas AgrAbility Instagram account currently has 198 followers. The Texas AgrAbility YouTube channel provides an accessible format for housing educational videos with closed captioning and accessibility features provided. There are currently 189 subscribers with 65 educational videos posted with over 1,700 views in FY 2021. An Introduction to Texas AgrAbility video was created in Spanish to provide an overview of progams available to migrant & Hispanic farmworkers. A Texas AgrAbility Brochure for Migrant & Hispanic farmworkers was created and made available in Spanish.
Publications
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Jarman, R., & Thomas, M. K. (2020, November 11). AgrAbility. AgMag, 7(38), 89.
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Progress 08/15/19 to 08/14/20
Outputs
Target Audience:Agricultural producers and military veterans with disabilities, their family members and employees and the professionals that serve them. Changes/Problems:1. Dr. Rick Peterson left Texas A&M earlier this year and he is no longer the project lead. Dr. Cheryl Grenwelge is now the lead PI. Paperwork to update this information has been submitted. 2. Several events were canceled or re-scheduled due to COVID-19 including theSan AngeloIntroductory Agriculture Business workshop which had an expected attendance of 30.An additional workshop is scheduled for August with estimated attendance of 30 participants. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? The Texas AgrAbility Project brochure has been translated to Spanish anddisseminated 200 brochures at workshops and events in FY 2020. 4 educational fact sheets related to disability and preventing secondary injury have been translated to Spanish and will be posted to the Texas AgrAbility website for free download and dissemination. A project brief was developed to highlight accomplishments of the Texas AgrAbility project in 2019. The brief will also be translated to Spanish and disseminated to migrant and hispanic farmworker stakeholders. The Texas AgrAbility delivers a monthly email newsletter highlighting upcoming events, assistive technology, resources for disabled and beginning farmers and ranchers, and highlighted client and partner stores. The newsletter currently has 844 subscribers. The Texas AgrAbility Blog shares information, resources, and assistive technology. There are 34 blog posts with 104 subscribers. The Texas AgrAbility Facebook page currently has 758 likes, 857 followers. Texas AgrAbility's Facebook page ranks #3 in likes between all AgrAbility projects. Planning Small Farms Facebook group has 1,684 members that share education and resources through an online web forum. Texas AgrAbility Twitter account currently has 145 followers. Texas AgrAbility Instagram account currently has 164 followers. The Texas AgrAbility YouTube channel was created to provide an accessible format for housing recorded webinars for later viewing with closed captioning and accessibility features provided. There are currently 104 subscribers with 8 educational videos posted with over 766 views. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Goal 1: Educational modules developed and incorporated into an online course; Target audience increase knowledge gain by 50% regarding accommodating disabilities of persons engaged in production agriculture Evaluate percent knowledge gain pre/post. Track the # of presentations and # by group category reached. Track # of partner agencies gained. 2 BattleGround to Breaking Ground workshops per year Pre/post knowledge gain surveys; numbers of veterans with disabilities attending workshops Expertise panel from School of Rural Health to assist in the development of co-shared fact sheets (see below) Numbers of fact sheets distributed/ accessed 1 fact sheet per year for delivery on Texas AgrAbility website (product) Numbers of each fact sheet accessed to determine impact Texas stakeholders with increased competencies for accommodating disabilities of persons engaged in production agriculture Pre/Post knowledge gain; # of participants at trainings; # of partner agencies gained TWC personnel gain competencies to accommodate disabilities & avoid secondary injury in migrant & Hispanic farmworkers with disabilities Pre/Post knowledge gain; number of target audience attending webinars Goal 2: Increased ability of audience to share & gain information Increased # of subscriptions & posts to the online forum Track # of COIs subscriptions to & newsletter; # of posts to forum; Track # of subscriptions to blog; Online forum polls Goal 3: 120 new clients served through consultative/assessment services per year for 4 years Use McGill Quality of Life Survey, Work Limitation Questionnaire; Track # of served; Assess dollars spent on assistive technology 2 additional assessment teams added per year for years 1-4. Track Number of interested and trained assessment team professionals. Number of regional assessment teams formed per year by designated region of the state. Goal 4: 20% increase in number of Hispanic and migrant farmworkers and their families served by Texas AgrAbility, Increased competence of Texas Workforce Commission's personnel competencies for supporting disability in agriculture and reducing the chance of secondary injury Achievement level of this activity will be evaluated against the identification and implementation of TWC VR internal strategies for identifying potential agriculture cases, as well as, TWC's Seasonal and Migrant farmworker personnel in the identification and referral of Hispanic and migrant farmworkers Project brochure (product); Project display (product) Track # of materials disseminated, event attendees Increased awareness of project goals, programs, and services Track # of marketing materials, disseminated website views, and referrals Blog series (Product); Increased awareness of programs, services, and events Track # of subscriptions to blog; Track numbers of members in COIs, Track online forum polls Increased awareness of AgrAbility services Track # of: clients website views; blog subscriptions; PAC & COIs members; social media subscribers Increased awareness of goals, programs, and services Social Media Marketing Plan (product) Track # of subscribers to social media pages, online groups, COIs, forums, and website Newsletter Increased awareness of project, goals, services, partners, events, assistive technology Track number of monthly newsletters; Track number of newsletter subscriptions Brochure in Spanish (product) fact sheets in Spanish (product) display in Spanish (product) Track number of materials disseminated; Track number of attendees at events Marketing plan (product); Increased awareness of AgrAbility programs and services to Hispanic/migrant worker population Track # of materials disseminated to Hispanic/migrant workers; Track number of Hispanic/ migrant attendees at events
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Goal 1 - Provide Education Texas AgrAbility has posted the Intro to Agriculture Business "Ideas for Starting Rural Agriculture Businesses" module with pre andpost surveys with 39 attending the live webinar, 25 individuals accessing the module, and providing pre andpost survey data. Texas AgrAbility in partnership with BattleGround to Breaking Ground hosted 5 educational webinars (How to Start a Farm Business, Tax Considerations for Farms andRanches, Strategic Winter Supplementation Programs, Ideas for Starting Rural Agriculture Businesses, and Texas Cottage Food Law) with 254 individuals in attendance with pre and post knowledge gain surveys collected. Texas AgrAbility staff in collaboration with Vocational Rehabilitation has developed a fact sheet for both counselors and clients on the referral and VR process to educate counselors, develop modules, and implement referral processes for co-shared clients. Texas AgrAbility had planned 2 Introductory Agriculture Business Workshops throughout the state. Due to the Covid-19 restrictions, the San Angelo workshop with an expected attendance of 30 had to be cancelled. An additional workshop is scheduled for August with estimated attendance of 30 participants. The workshop provides new and beginning farmer education along with AgrAbility resources and services. Many of the Veterans who attended the workshops are currently pursuing and/or have obtained sole proprietorship agriculture enterprises as a result of the educational workshop. Texas AgrAbility held/participated in 8 educational trainings conducted across the state reaching over 702 individuals resulting in 9,098 face to face contact hours. Educational fact sheet "Safety for Senior Farmers" was developed and has been translated to Spanish. Both versions are posted on the Texas AgrAbility website, is free to download, and will be shared with the National AgrAbility Project database. Educational Fact Sheet "Diabetes, Hypertension, and Obesity" is currently being developed in collaboration with the Texas A&M School of Public Health and is expected to be completed by August 2020. The fact sheet will be translated to Spanish, shared through the Texas AgrAbility website, be available for free download, and will be shared with the National AgrAbility Project database. 6 Vocational Rehabilitation trainings have been hosted for 250 VR counselors and assistive technology specialists educating on Texas AgrAbility, health and safety risks for farmers and ranchers, and farm assessment training. Goal 2 - Increase the Service Capacity Texas AgrAbility staff have updated pre and post assessment questionnaires to include the Work LImitations Questionnaire for assessing work limitations and economic impact of AgrAbility services provided. Texas AgrAbility staff have facilitated partnerships with the Texas Workforce Commission Migrant and Hispanic Farmworker program to enhance training for TWC staff on needs of farmers and ranchers with disabilities, resources for migrant and Hispanic farmworkers, and Texas AgrAbility services. 3 interactive forums were created to promote resource sharing and connections between clients and service providers. Forum members include clients, stakeholders, partners, and those with shared interests. The forums are linked on the Texas AgrAbilitywebsite and are available through social media, as suggested by the needs assessment. The Texas Agriculture Health forum has 12 members, Migrant and Hispanic Farmers forum has 6 members, and Veterans in Agriculture forum has 29 members, with over 140 posts to the forums. Quarterly project advisory committee meetings have been hosted with 13 active project advisory committee members in attendance in FY 2020. AgrAbility staff has met utilized its Advisory Committee to gain guidance on sustainability plans for the project, guidance on training opportunities for special populations, and marketing and outreach to target audiences. Three new agency members, Francisco Cerda - TWC Migrant and Hispanic Farmworker program state monitor advocate, and Heidi Barber - AgrAbility client and farm manager of the Farmers Education and Training farm were added to the stakeholder group and project advisory committee. These new are added to our established network of multidisciplinary state and non-profit agency partnerships in support of agriculture workshops for military veterans that include USDA NRCS, USDA FSA, Texas Center for Rural Entrepreneurship, Texas Veterans Commission, Farm Credit, Farmer Veteran Coalition, NCAT ATTRA, and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, along with clients and other stakeholders resulting in educational, marketing, venue, and entrepreneurial in kind support for military veterans and beginning farmer/ranchers interested in starting an enterprise in production agriculture. 2 Texas AgrAbility staff members were set to present at the National Training Workshop in Madison, Wisconsin. Dr. Cheryl Grenwelge, project co-director, was set to present a training for AgrAbility staff on working with state vocational rehabilitation projects. Makenzie Thomas, program coordinator, was set to present on veteran training programs and collaboration with AgrAbility projects. Goal 3 - Assistance Texas AgrAbility staff have conducted 5 formal worksite assessments and agriculture business plans in collaboration with Vocational Rehabilitation, with over $112,00 in assistive technology recommended for funding support for clients. 4 clients have been referred to Vocational Rehabilitation by Texas AgrAbility staff, 2 clients have been referred from Vocational Rehabilitation to Texas AgrAbility for farm and ranch assessments, and 5 individuals have been referred by rehabilitation centers to Texas AgrAbility for services. 8 clients were referred to Texas AgrAbility from the BattleGround to Breaking Ground project for disability services and recommendations for assistive technology. Texas AgrAbility staff provided monthly case management for 61 agriculture producers with disabilities and military veterans with disabilities to remain/begin in production agriculture through work-site assessment, individual consultation, and resource connections to assistive technologies and funding. Texas AgrAbility staff were part of a Beginning Farmer Rancher Development Program Grant submission in FY 2020, but were not awarded. ?
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Progress 08/15/18 to 08/14/19
Outputs
Target Audience:Farmers, rancher and veterans with disabilities engaged in production agriculture and those that wanting to start in farming. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Texas AgrAbility provided a number of trainings and professional development opportunities the past year including the following: From Battle to Breaking Ground" a new beginning farmer/ranchers educational workshop designed for Veterans who are currently pursuing and/or have obtained land to become farmer/ranchers. Texas AgrAbility developed and delivered AgrAbility-Occupational Therapist training for occupational therapist students to educate about health and safety risks for farmers and ranchers and the farm assessment process. Provided access to online course on Disability and Agriculture Awareness for agriculture professionals. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Over the past year Texas AgrAbility generated press/news releases and conducted media (television, radio) interviews with distribution of circulation numbers reaching 300,000. Texas AgrAbility website received 388,438 hits, 32,955 visits and had 15,038 unique visitors. The AgrAbility website content is updated on a regular base and is used to maximize project goals for marketing, education, and networking. Three webcast client testimonials have been developed from Texas AgrAbility clients. Clients shared their experiences with the Texas AgrAbility Project and partners. Texas AgrAbility through newsletters with free email subscription provide program updates reaching 585 subscribers. The Texas AgrAbility Blog shares information, resources, and assistive technology and has 73 subscribers. The Texas AgrAbility Community of Practice Facebook page currently has 1,253 likes. Texas AgrAbility Planning Small Farms Facebook group has 1,253 members that share education and resources through online web forum. Texas AgrAbility Twitter account currently has 120 followers. Texas AgrAbility Instagram account currently has 113 followers. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Texas AgrAbility will continue it efforts to provide education to connected communities (producers, family members, farmworkers, service providers, agriculture professionals) to enhance the competencies to accommodate disabilities and avoid secondary injuries in persons with disabilities engaging in production agriculture. Texas AgrAbility will continue to build service capacity of through networking efforts designed to encourage the sharing of information among, and the provision of services for the direct benefit of Texas AgrAbility client. Texas AgrAbility will provide direct assistance to clients and others working on the farm by providing individualize consultative services through farm/ worksite assessment including product selection advice, accessibility and ergonomic recommendations, life activities and farm operations planning guidance, advocacy to obtain services & financial aid, and connection to local resource teams that increases clients' access to their operations; thus enhancing success. Continue to conduct program marketing and outreach to increase project awareness with key audiences and expand outreach to the Veteran and Hispanic farming community. Texas AgrAbility will leveragenewAgVet Grant funds to provide AgrAbility education and services as well linkage to a number of Veteran transitional and disability support services.Texas AgrAbility Battle Ground to Breaking Ground will continue to sponsor workshops that are of interest for Veteran beginning farmers.Texas AgrAbilty will continue to collect outcome data for education, training programs and quality of life.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Texas AgrAbility held/participated in educational trainings conducted across the state reaching over 526 individuals resulting in over 2,605 face to face contact hours. Texas AgrAbility conducted 2 "From Battle to Breaking Ground" educational workshop for new and beginning farmers Veterans with 64 participants in attendance. The workshop provides new and beginning farmer education along with AgrAbility resources and services. Many of the Veterans who attended the workshops are currently pursuing and/or have obtained sole proprietorship agriculture enterprises as a result of educational workshops. Evaluation results from the workshop indicated that participants increased their knowledge about business ideas and planning; AgrAbility; and USDA funding sources. (workshop)Participants rated their overall satisfaction of the workshops on a 0-4 point scale (0 not all satisfied to 4 completely satisfied) as a 3.95. Participants we're also asked if the expected to benefit economically as a direct result of what they learned at the workshop and would they recommend it to others. 100% of participants indicated that they expected to benefit economically as a direct result of what they learned at the workshop and 100% reported that they would recommend the workshop to others. A regional Texas AgrAbility -Occupational Therapist training was conducted with 32 occupational therapist students. The OTs learned about Texas AgrAbility and health and safety risks for farmers and ranchers as well as the farm assessment process. The Disability and agriculture awareness online module was completed by 82 individuals with an average 75.87% increase in knowledge gain from pre/post and the gain was statistically significant at the .000 level. Staff completed a needs assessment for the interactive forum for the Texas AgrAbility Communities of Interest. The results are 91.46% of responders would be interested in participating in an interactive forum 52.44% want the forum delivered through a website 42.68% through social media and offered suggestions for content. A project advisory committee appreciation dinner and meeting was hosted for advisory committee members and stakeholders. The meeting recognized committee members, and highlighted project successes, clients, and graduates of the veteran training programs. Three new agency members, Travis Whitney - Texas A&M AgriLife Extension livestock nutrition specialist, and Jeremy Munn, Veteran Emphasis Program Manager for USDA NRCS were added to the stakeholder group and project advisory committee. These new are added to our established network of multidisciplinary state and non-profit agency partnerships in support of agriculture workshops for military veterans that include Agriculture SAFE, USDA NRCS, USDA FSA, Texas Center for Rural Entrepreneurship, Texas Veterans Commission, Farm Credit, Farmer Veteran Coalition, NCAT ATTRA, Farm Bureau, along with clients and other stakeholders resulting in educational, marketing, venue, and entrepreneurial in kind support for military veterans and beginning farmer/ranchers interested in starting an enterprise in production agriculture. Three Texas AgrAbility staff members attended the National Training Workshop in Lincoln, Nebraska. Dr. Rick Peterson, project director, in partnership with Missouri AgrAbility conducted a staff development workshop related to collaboration between AgrAbility and Beginning Farmer Rancher projects to 20 participants. Texas AgrAbility Assisted 78 producers with disabilities and military veterans with disabilities to remain/begin in production agriculture through work-site assessment and resource connections to assistive technologies and funding. In addition, through our contract with the Texas Workforce Commission Vocational Rehabilitation, Texas AgrAbility was able to provide Texas AgrAbility clients with $134,664 plus dollars in assistive technology recommendations to Vocational Rehabilitation co-shared clients to improve access and accessibility to their farm or ranch. Texas AgrAbility staff submitted a diversity and inclusion grant through Farm Credit Bank of Texas in the amount of $5,000 to support workshops. $500 sponsorship from the Alamo Soil and Water Conservation District to support educational workshops for military veterans and beginning farmers and ranchers was awarded. The Texas AgrAbility Project brochure has been updated and disseminated reaching over 250 interested Spanish speakers'. Texas AgrAbility currently has 58 open client cases, has served 74 clients through 600 plus hours in FY 2019. The Texas AgrAbility delivers a monthly email newsletter highlighting upcoming events, assistive technology, resources for disabled and beginning farmers and ranchers, and highlighted client and partner stores. The newsletter currently has 585 subscribers. The Texas AgrAbility Blog shares information, resources, and assistive technology. There are 27 blog posts with 73 subscribers. The Texas AgrAbility Facebook page currently has 651 likes, 720 followers. Texas AgrAbility's Facebook page ranks #2 in likes between all AgrAbility projects. Planning Small Farms Facebook group has 1,253 members that share education and resources through online web forum. Texas AgrAbility Twitter account currently has 120 followers. Texas AgrAbility Instagram account currently has 113 followers. Texas AgrAbility clients applied to the Battleground to Breaking Ground Entrepreneurial Training Project cohorts 4 and 5, with 100% of those gaining acceptance into the program. Texas AgrAbility has gained 12 client referrals from the Battleground to Breaking Ground Entrepreneurial Training Project that are currently in process.
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