Progress 09/01/18 to 08/31/23
Outputs
Target Audience:Farmers and ranchers with disabilities, vocational rehabilitation counselors, healthcare professionals, veterans and veteran organizations, Amish and Mennonite populations, Hispanic population, Hmong population, 4-H, FFA, Wisconsin farm-based operations. Changes/Problems:Agriculture in Wisconsin continues to evolve, with an increased number of smaller dairy farms selling their herds and fewer young people going into farming. This creates a more limited group of prospective clients for AAW, as historically most of the clients served were dairy farmers. Since this project started, a significant number of farmers have retired and operations have consolidated to larger and fewer farms. An effort to increase awareness of the project and its services is underway for new farming audiences, which includes smaller market-garden and CSA type operations. While reception of AAW messages and services to this group has been positive, there has not been a significant increase in enrollments. Continued education and outreach will be needed for new sub-segments of the industry in order to sustain our project goals. Staffing is also a challenge for this project. The 2022-23 year began with a brand new Outreach Specialist, following a three-month vacancy. The 2023-24 will also experience staffing difficulties again, with the new Outreach Specialist leaving and potential retirements on the ESW staff side. This is also a great opportunity for the project to re-evaluate systems and roles and make changes to be more efficient moving forward. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?ESW staff provided a course to 19 youth with disabilities interested in a career in agriculture, teaching the students about the possibilities of careers in agriculture and coordinating tours of agricultural businesses. AAW provided one college graduate student with the opportunity to expand their marketing and communication skills by providing a summer internship, in collaboration with the UW's Agriculture Research Station's summer intern program. Students learned about strategies for marketing through digital media and trade show marketing, as well as interviewing and article writing skills. AAW and ESW continued our effort to increase awareness of the needs of farmers with disabilities with the Wisconsin Department of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) by attending quarterly DVR All Partners Work Group meetings. There was no formal training held by AAW in this grant year, however plans are underway to update online trainings for fall 2023 and host another in person training in spring 2024. Online training presentations from the previous grant year are still accessible on the AAW YouTube channel. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?AAW and ESW are participating in developing a survey with the Wisconsin Department of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) to gather information on why farmers are not completing the DVR process to receive funding to acquire assistive technology. This survey will be distributed and analyzed by Wisconsin DVR to inform and improve their interactions with farmers and hopefully regain trust in the agricultural community. AAW publishes an annual report of results, which is provided directly to key stakeholders on the Advisory Council and published on the AAW website for the public to view. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
AgrAbility of Wisconsin (AAW) served 390 farm clients in the demographic year (September 1, 2022 - August 31, 2023). Of these clients, we had 53 new and re-opened, 69 closed clients, and 103 on-site farm visits completed by staff from our nonprofit partner Easterseals of Wisconsin (ESW). Outreach and education activities made up a large part of the effort for AAW. Over the year, AAW attended or hosted 1 events for audiences including occupational therapists, physical therapists, rehabilitation counselors, other rehabilitation professionals, occupational therapist assistant students, and high school agriculture students. In an effort to reach university students, Assistive Technology topic was a part of the curriculum in an introduction to freshmen level, introductory engineering design course in the Biological Systems Engineering (BSE) Department at the University of Wisconsin - Madison. This topic involved designing a transfer seat for an Action Track Chair to allow disabled farmers to easily move from their wheelchairs to the seat of the Track chair. Approximately 7 students were involved in the design process and benefitted from interacting with AAW's Outreach Specialist on the topic. AAW attended the 2023 National Training workshop, held in Spokane, Wash., and presented a poster on the topic of engaging engineering students with the project, outlining the work done in these BSE undergraduate classes. A meeting of the AAW Advisory Council, representing the Wisconsin education, agricultural and health communities, was held to gather feedback and input for improving the education and assistance to farmers with disabilities. This meeting was held in person on November 3, at the University of Wisconsin's Agricultural Research Station Public Events Building in Arlington, Wis., and we had 16 Advisory Council members attend and 8 AAW staff. It was great to be in person once again, after years of virtual meetings, and there was very good interaction and input from the council members. Two related articles were published in one of the state agriculture papers outlining the efforts of AgrAbility and advertising our services to Wisconsin Farmers. The annual AgrAbility of Wisconsin Summit was held on April 6, 2023, at a new location, the Cranberry Creek Lodge in Tomah, Wis. The event focused on Veteran farmers and mental wellness, with 45 attendees from veteran agencies and other service group, in addition to the traditional audience of past and current clients and supporters. We had presentations for a full day. Topics included FSA program opportunities specifically to SDA farmers and Veterans, farm business planning, soil health, and farmer wellness. Lunch was provided for the farmers to allow for networking. AAW also attended 24 tradeshows, event presentations, outreach and educational activities both in-person and virtually reaching out to our target audiences.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/21 to 08/31/22
Outputs
Target Audience:Farmers and ranchers with disabilities, vocational rehabilitation counselors, healthcare professionals, veterans and veteran organizations, Amish and Mennonite populations, Hispanic population, Hmong population, 4-H, FFA, Wisconsin farm-based operations. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?ESW staff provided a course to 52 youth with disabilities interested in a career in agriculture, teaching the students about the possibilities of careers in agriculture and coordinating tours of agricultural businesses. AAW provided one college student with the opportunity to expand their marketing and communication skills by providing a semester-long internship. Students learned about strategies for marketing through digital media and online resource development. AAW and ESW continued our effort to increase awareness of the needs of farmers with disabilities with the Wisconsin Department of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) by hosting in-person training at the Marshfield Agricultural Research Station. This training supplemented our virtual "Day in the life of a farmer" training completed in 2021. During this in-person training DVR counselors were given first hand experience in animal handling (both cow and calf), machinery operation (both skid-steer and large agricultural machinery), side-by-side and UTV operation, and LifeEssentials was on hand to demonstrate a lifting device mounted to a pickup truck for ingress and egress from a tractor and combine. The event was attended by approximately 40 DVR counselors and administrators. This event was so successful that we are planning to host both virtual training and in-person again in late 2023 and early 2024. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?AAW and ESW are participating in developing a survey with the Wisconsin Department of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) to gather information on why farmers are not completing the DVR process to receive funding to acquire assistive technology. This survey will be distributed and analyzed by WI DVR to inform and improve their interactions with farmers and hopefully regain trust in the agricultural community. AAW publishes an annual report of results, which is provided directly to key stakeholders on the Advisory Council and published on the AAW website for the public to view. Additionally, the report is included at the booth space of all farm and trade shows and materials given to new clients for their reference and understanding of the program. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?AAW will continue to expand on the outreach efforts during the hard-economic times of farmers to increase the enrollment of the AAW project. A focus on marketing and storytelling will be emphasized more heavily during the next three years to increase program exposure throughout counties facing the hardships. AAW is also making a slight change to Neighbor to Neighbor meetings and hosting these at Equipment Dealerships across the state. We hope to gain greater attendance and increased interaction at these events than we have seen in recent years.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
AgrAbility of Wisconsin (AAW) served 421 farm clients in the demographic year (September 1, 2021 - August 30, 2022). Of these clients we had 79 new and re-opened, 42 closed clients, and 125 on-site farm visits completed by staff from our non-profit partner Easter Seals of Wisconsin (ESW). Outreach and education activities made up a large part of the effort for AAW. Over the year, AAW attended or hosted 14 events for audiences including occupational therapists, physical therapists, rehabilitation counselors, other rehabilitation professionals, occupational therapist assistant students, and high school agriculture students. In addition to these events an Assistive Technology topic was a part of the curriculum in an introduction to engineering design course in the Biological Systems Engineering Department at the University of Wisconsin - Madison. This topic involves designing new implements for an Action Track Chair to allow disabled farmers to easily move snow, carry buckets, or lift feed bags form the seat of the chair. Approximately 15 students were involved in the design process and benefitted from interacting with AAW's Outreach Specialist on the topic. AAW also had the honor of hosting the AgrAbility National Training Workshop in Madison, Wisconsin in 2022. The event was well attended by State AgrAbility Projects, USDA NIFA officials, and farmer clients of AgrAbility. AAW participated in presentations and posters on Assistive Technology, working to explore Ag Careers for students with disabilities, and marketing for small agricultural businesses during the conference. A meeting of the AAW advisory council representing the WI education, agricultural and health communities was held to obtain suggestions for improving the education and assistance to farmers with disabilities. This meeting was held virtually, and we had 30 advisory council members attend. Hosting this meeting virtually was not ideal, but there was good interaction with the advisory council and a popular press article was produced and published in state agriculture papers outlining the efforts of AgrAbility and advertising our services to Wisconsin Farmers. The annual AgrAbility of Wisconsin Summit was at Organic Valley in Cashton in April 2022 for farmers with disabilities in the State of Wisconsin. We had presentations for a full day. Topics included FSA program opportunities specifically to SDA farmers and Veterans, farm safety, Veteran farmer niche enterprise opportunities, Veteran farmer mentorship opportunities, and farmer wellness. Lunch was provided for the farmers to allow for networking. Inclement weather minimized the number of attendees, however those that were present were able to receive very specific information pertaining to their operations and benefitted from the discussion greatly. AAW also attended 18 tradeshows, class presentations, outreach and educational activities both in-person and virtually reaching out to our target audiences.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/20 to 08/31/21
Outputs
Target Audience:Farmers and ranchers with disabilities, vocational rehabilitation counselors, healthcare professionals, veterans and veteran organizations, Amish and Mennonite populations, Hispanic population, Hmong population, 4-H, FFA, Wisconsin farm-based operations. Changes/Problems:Economically, this last year has been difficult for Wisconsin farmers due to the hardships with milk and crop prices. Wisconsin has experienced a large number of bankruptcies and farms being sold. With this downturn, AAW has decided to start focusing more marketing on how staff can provide assistance with transitioning farms to an accessible operation to increase success. Additionally, for the past three and a half years AAW's farming clients have experienced a change in funding accessibility through the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation due to a policy change implemented on the state level. While this does not restrict the service AAW is providing to farmers, fewer farmers are going through the funding assistance with the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation and are seeking funding through community and local resources which has increased the time length of the cases for AAW. The COIVD-19 pandemic happened to start affecting our goals in mid-March 2020, a lot of spring farm shows were cancelled, the National Training Workshop was postponed, and we had to start working from home and meeting virtually. Going forward we are able to start getting back out and seeing people in person and are looking forward to hosting the 2022 National Training Workshop. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?ESW staff provided a course to thirty-oneyouth with disabilities interested in a career in agriculture, teaching the students about the possibilities of careers in agriculture and coordinating tours of agricultural businesses. AAW provided one college student with the opportunity to expand their marketing and communication skills by providing a semester-long internship. Students learned about strategies for marketing through digital media and online resource development. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?AAW publishes an annual report of results, which is provided directly to key stakeholders on the Advisory Council and published on the AAW website for the public to view. Additionally, the report is included at the booth space of all farm and trade shows and materials given to new clients for their reference and understanding of the program. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?AAW will continue to expand on the outreach efforts during the hard-economic times of farmers to increase the enrollment of the AAW project. A focus on marketing and storytelling will be emphasized more heavily during the next three years to increase program exposure throughout counties facing the hardships.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
During the demographic year (September 1, 2020-current) services have been provided to 360 farmers with disabilities with 66 new and re-open referrals and 34 clients whose cases were closed. Staff from the Easter Seals of Wisconsin (ESW) FARM program completed farm-site assessments and additional visits in their 2020-2021 grant cycle which provided support to implement the plans resulting from those assessments. Sixteen outreach/education activities were conducted for audiences including occupational therapists, physical therapists, rehabilitation counselors, other rehabilitation professionals, occupational therapist assistant students, and high school agriculture students. One class project was completed working with engineering students on assistive technology devices specifically the Track Chair attachments. One neighbor to neighbor meetings were held virtually because of the Coronavirus Pandemic. They were held with veterans from the VA Farms program, 6 farmers were in attendance. FSA and NRCS partners provided the other two virtual meetings with 5 and 10 farmers in attendance. A meeting of the AAW advisory council representing the WI education, agricultural and health communities was held to obtain suggestions for improving the education and assistance to farmers with disabilities. This meeting was held virtually, and we had 25 advisory council members attend. The annual AgrAbility of Wisconsin Summit was scheduled for early April 2021 and was held virtually. We had 1 session per day for 3 days with multiple speakers. Topics included FSA program opportunities specifically to SDA farmers and Veterans, farmer health insurance, farm financials and farmer wellness. 20 tradeshows, class presentations, outreach and educational activities were attended virtually reaching out to our target audiences. AAW was mentioned in more than a dozen of Brian Luck's presentations to agriculture professionals around the state. AAW has been participating in the National AgrAbility Project Impact Study using the modified McGill Quality of Life instrument. Pre and post surveys will be administered with matched pairs of surveys to evaluate the client's quality of life. Additionally, for the past five and a half years AAW's farming clients have experienced a change in funding accessibility through the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation due to a policy change implemented on the state level. While this does not restrict the service AAW is providing to farmers, fewer farmers are going through the funding assistance with the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation and are seeking funding through community and local resources which has increased the time length of the cases for AAW. AAW has also seen a slight drop of farmer enrollment this past year, which has led to the AAW staff to engage in additional marketing and outreach opportunities to educate farmers on the services the program offers.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Plowing Ahead (AgrAbility of Wisconsin Newsletter) Fall 2020; Spring 2021
The hurdles of health insurance June 17, 2021
AgrAbility virtual summit April 3, 2021
Kaltenberg joins Easterseals board of directors January 27, 2021
Farmer with disabilities frustrated by policy limitations November 24, 2020
Farm life provides meaningful work for veteran November 11, 2020
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Progress 09/01/19 to 08/31/20
Outputs
Target Audience:Farmers and ranchers with disabilities, vocational rehabilitation counselors, healthcare professionals, veterans and veteran organizations, Amish and Mennonite populations, Hispanic population, Hmong population, 4-H, FFA, Wisconsin farm-based operations. Changes/Problems:Economically, this last year has been difficult for Wisconsin farmers due to the hardships with milk and crop prices. Wisconsin has experienced a large number of bankruptcies and farms being sold. With this downturn, AAW has decided to start focusing more marketing on how staff can provide assistance with transitioning farms to an accessible operation to increase success. Additionally, for the past three and a half years AAW's farming clients have experienced a change in funding accessibility through the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation due to a policy change implemented on the state level. While this does not restrict the service AAW is providing to farmers, fewer farmers are going through the funding assistance with the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation and are seeking funding through community and local resources which has increased the time length of the cases for AAW. The COIVD-19 pandemic happened to start affecting our goals in mid-March 2020, a lot of spring farm shows were cancelled, the National Training Workshop was postponed, and we had to start working from home and meeting virtually. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?ESW staff provided a course to thirty-seven youth with disabilities interested in a career in agriculture, teaching the students about the possibilities of careers in agriculture and coordinating tours of agricultural businesses. AAW provided one college student with the opportunity to expand their marketing and communication skills by providing a semester-long internship. Students learned about strategies for marketing through digital media and online resource development. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?AAW publishes an annual report of results, which is provided directly to key stakeholders on the Advisory Council and published on the AAW website for the public to view. Additionally, the report is included at the booth space of all farm and trade shows and materials given to new clients for their reference and understanding of the program. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?AAW will continue to expand on the outreach efforts during the hard-economic times of farmers to increase the enrollment of the AAW project. A focus on marketing and storytelling will be emphasized more heavily during the next three years to increase program exposure throughout counties facing the hardships.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
During the demographic year (September 1, 2019-current) services have been provided to 344 farmers with disabilities with 59 new and re-open referrals and 20 clients whose cases were closed. Staff from the Easter Seals of Wisconsin (ESW) FARM program completed farm site assessments and additional visits in their 2019-2020 grant cycle which provided support to implement the plans resulting from those assessments. Fourteen outreach/education activities were conducted for audiences including occupational therapists, physical therapists, rehabilitation counselors, other rehabilitation professionals, occupational therapist assistant students, and high school agriculture students. One class project was completed working with engineering students on assistive technology devices and ways to improve program awareness and a second project is still in progress. Two print newsletters have been developed and distributed to nearly 3,500 clients, former clients, agricultural and health professionals. Two electronic copies of the Plowing Ahead newsletters have also been developed and distributed to former clients, agricultural and health professionals across the country to save on printing costs. One neighbor to neighbor virtual meeting was held with veterans from the VA Farms program, 8 farmers were in attendance. Two other meetings have been put on hold for now because of the COVID-19 pandemic. A meeting of the AAW advisory council representing the WI education, agricultural and health communities was held to obtain suggestions for improving the education and assistance to farmers with disabilities. The annual AgrAbility of Wisconsin Summit was scheduled for early April 2020 but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Four speakers and topics were confirmed. Topics included body mechanics, FSA and NRCS program opportunities, farmer health insurance and mental health, and assistive technology on the farm. 20 tradeshows, class presentations, outreach and educational activities were attended reaching out to our target audiences. AAW was mentioned in more than a dozen of Brian Luck's presentations to agriculture professionals around the state. AAW has been participating in the National AgrAbility Project Impact Study using the modified McGill Quality of Life instrument. Pre and post surveys will be administered with matched pairs of surveys to evaluate the client's quality of life.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Plowing Ahead (AgrAbility of Wisconsin Newsletter) Fall 2019; Spring 2020
Health important in agriculture; AgriView; September 11, 2019
Arthritis and back pain common issues on the farm; Ag Update; September 24, 2019
USDA Announces $16.2 Million to Support Socially Disadvantaged and Veteran Farmers and Ranchers; USDA; October 7, 2019
Health concerns from grain dusts during harvest: One assistive technology tool to help; Wisconsin Custom Operators Newsletter; November 5, 2019
AgrAbility offers services despite funding limitations; Farm Progress WI Agriculturalist; November 20, 2019
AgrAbilitys 2020 goals include new clients, funding; Country Today; November 25, 2019
AgriAbility helps farmers who get sick or hurt. They dont have to quit farming.; Wisconsin State Farmer; December 12, 2019
Mid-West Farm Report | AgrAbility 2020 December 12, 2019
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Progress 09/01/18 to 08/31/19
Outputs
Target Audience:Farmers and ranchers with disabilities, vocational rehabilitation counselors, healthcare professionals, veterans and veteran organizations, Amish and Mennonite populations, Hispanic population, Hmong population, 4-H, FFA, Wisconsin farm-based operations Changes/Problems:Economically, this last yearhas been difficult for Wisconsin farmers due to the hardships with milk and crop prices. Wisconsin has experienced a large number of bankruptcies and farms being sold. With this downturn, AAW has decided to start focusing more marketing on how staff can provide assistance with transitioning farms to an accessible operation to increase success. Additionally, for the past three and a half years AAW's farming clients have experienced a change in funding accessibility through the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation due to a policy change implemented on the state level. While this does not restrict the service AAW is providing to farmers, fewer farmers are going through the funding assistance with the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation and are seeking funding through community and local resources which has increased the time length of the cases for AAW. AAW has also seen a slight drop of farmer enrollment this past year, which has lead to the AAW staff to engage in additional marketing and outreach opportunities to educate farmers on the services the program offers. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?ESW staff provided a course to seventeenyouth with disabilities interested in a career in agriculture, teaching the students about the possibilities of careers in agriculture and coordinating tours of agricultural businesses. AAW provided two college students with the opportunity to expand their marketing and communication skills by providing a semester-long internship. Students learned about strategies for marketing through digital media and online resource development. AAW assisted two farmers with the opportunity to attend the National AgrAbility Training Workshop in 2019to gain a better understanding of the programs reach and potential for advancing the project in Wisconsin. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?AAW publishes an annual report of results, which is provided directly to key stakeholders on the Advisory Council and published on the AAW website for the public to view. Additionally, the report is included at the booth space of all farm and trade shows and materials given to new clients for their reference and understanding of the program. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?AAW will continue to expand on the outreach efforts during the hard economic times of dairy farmers to increase the enrollment of the AAW project. A focus on marketing and storytelling will be emphasized more heavily during the next three years to increase program exposure throughout counties facing the hardships.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
During the demographic year (September 1, 2018-current) services have been provided to 343 farmers with disabilities with 44 new and re-open referrals and 97 clients whose cases were closed. Staff from the Easter Seals of Wisconsin (ESW) FARM program completed farmsite assessments and additional visits in their 2018-2019 grant cycle which provided support to implement the plans resulting from those assessments. Fourteen outreach/education activities were conducted for audiences including occupational therapists, physical therapists, rehabilitation counselors, other rehabilitation professionals, occupational therapist assistant students, and high school agriculture students. One class project was completed working with engineering students on assistive technology devices and ways to improve program awareness and a second project is still in progress. Two print newsletters have been developed and distributed to nearly 3,500 clients, former clients, agricultural and health professionals. Two electronic copies of the Plowing Ahead newsletters have also been developed and distributed to former clients, agricultural and health professionals across the country to save on printing costs. Three neighbor to neighbor meetings were held with former clients serving as hosts on their farm, twenty-two farmers in attendance. A meeting of the AAW advisory council representing the WI education, agricultural and health communities was held to obtain suggestions for improving the education and assistance to farmers with disabilities. The annual AgrAbility of Wisconsin Summit was held for farmers and their family members in Wisconsin, with topics including transition and succession planning, stress management, and assistive technology on the farm. Sixty-three people attended the daylong event. 31tradeshows, class presentations, outreach and educational activities were attended reaching out to our target audiences. AAW was mentioned in more than a dozenof Brian Luck's presentations to agriculture professionals around the state. A DVR/ESW consumer survey was designed to evaluate the relationship between ESW staff and DVR staff in developing and implementing the farmer's plan. This client satisfaction survey for clients whose cases were closed during the year is sent out in April, using the Dillman Method. To evaluate the success of worksite assessment, another survey will be mailed to clients two to three months after their on-farm assessment which are in progress. AAW has been participating in the National AgrAbility Project Impact Study using the modified McGill Quality of Life instrument. Pre and post surveys will be administered with matched pairs of surveys to evaluate the client's quality of life.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Plowing Ahead (AgrAbility of Wisconsin Newsletter), Fall 2018; Spring 2019
AgrAbility funded for another four years, The Country Today, November 12, 2018
New Holstein family, Chilton man honored by Easter Seals Wisconsin, FDL Reporter, October 17, 2018
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