Progress 07/01/22 to 06/30/23
Outputs
Target Audience:The AgrAbility Project for Pennsylvanians is a partnership between Penn State Extension and the UCP of Central Pennsylvania. AgrAbility's primary objective is to provide direct services to farmers and farm family members who have a disability or long-term health condition and desire to return to or remain in production agriculture. This project has a long history with the PA Department of Labor and Industry's Office of Vocational Rehabilitation and the PA Assistive Technology Foundation, who continue to provide funding resources for modifications and assistive technology for AgrAbility clients throughout the state. AgrAbility continues strengthening its project through partnerships with veteran organizations, specialized agriculture groups (e.g., sustainable, women in ag, new and beginning farmers etc.), youth organizations, and governmental agencies. In addition to direct services for farmers (Pennsylvania farming population with disabilities including farmers who are aging, beginning, veterans, women, ethnic/racial, and other underserved populations), major objectives for this project include educational activities for rural rehabilitation professionals and rural and agricultural organizations; networking with organizations to increase the capacity of AgrAbility goals and to benefit clients, and marketing efforts to increase the awareness of AgrAbility services to the farm population, general public and public officials. Changes/Problems:The primary goal of the AgrAbility PA Project is to provide direct services to farmers and farm family members with a disability to enable them to remain in production agriculture and to enhance their well-being in agriculture. Measurements regarding our customer services include connections to services, acquisition of assistive technology, and Customer Impact Survey results to show the project's impact. This project year's main challenge was related to procedural changes by OVR, which were implemented under a previous leader. With the new leadership, we continue to work on clarifying how the procedures and partnership will be structured. The success of collaborations and connections through networking, education and marketing builds capacity and increases the project's reach. AgrAbility PA worked with new groups to broaden the reach of the AgrAbility message. Identifying new partners and collaborations is time-consuming yet valuable to meet goals and objectives. Working with new and existing partners to provide various programs and services to specialized populations will continue through the remaining project cycle. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?AgrAbility had 26 opportunities to provide outreach and educational training through exhibits or presentations to a variety of groups, including Rodale Institute, Messick's Farm Equipment, PA Farm Bureau, Amish handicapped gathering, Ag Progress Days, Keystone Farm Show, and multiple groups within Penn State Extension. For the 2023 National Training Workshop, PA AgrAbility staff submittedtwo poster proposals, which were accepted. Presentations about AgrAbility and topics specific to the audience, such as women in agriculture, veterans, and aging farmers. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Program results for the project were disseminated through presentations at local, state, and national conferences and professional meetings; through reporting through PSU Extension; newsletters, social media; and NAP eNotes. AgrAbility PA staff disseminated the project information and results at annual events such as state and county fairs, PA Farm Bureau's annual conference, Keystone Farm Show, PA Farm Show, PA Dairy Summit, and the PA Veteran Farming Network conference. In addition, the PA AgrAbility website (http://agrabilitypa.org) is another dissemination channel for project results. The monthly eNews is distributed in addition to two editions of the Field Notes print newsletter. Educational resources were disseminated for Spanish-speaking agricultural workers, farm supervisors, and farmers with a disability or long-term health condition through the PA AgrAbility website (http://agrabilitypa.org/en-espanol). Veteran resources are also available on the PA AgrAbility website and located at the following link: https://agrabilitypa.org/veterans/. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?ASSISTANCE OBJECTIVE Goals for providing direct services to farmers with a disability or long-term health conditions remain the top priority and an ongoing goal. These services will continue to include on-site farm assessment, information and referral services, completion of recommendation reports and connections to potential funding resources for assistive technology and modifications. EDUCATION OBJECTIVES Educational goals will continue for Year 3 with a few small changes. AgrAbility PA plans to expand our partners from PSU College of Nursing and will update and collaborate with health professionals to develop & deliver online CEU training to healthcare professionals about AgrAbility, disability and health challenges for farmers, etc. Also, we plan to partner with PSU Extension, PSU Ag Safety, and MO AgrAbility on an event and/or specific resources for women. NETWORKING OBJECTIVE Most goals and activities remain the same for Year 3 except for developing a peer support network. AgrAbility PA staff will partner with other SRAPs when appropriate to link AgrAbility customers when needed/appropriate for informal peer support based on disability and specific agricultural operations. Staff will explore opportunities to expand networking opportunities to veterans, LatinX, Anabaptist, and those involved in urban agriculture. MARKETING OBJECTIVE Goals and activities for marketing remain the same for Year 3, as stated in the grant application. PA AgrAbility will use in-person events, social media, and online venues to provide general awareness about AgrAbility services. These awareness activities lead to referrals, networking opportunities, and educational events.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Assistance. Direct services are the primary focus for AgrAbility PA. Staff worked with 35 customers this project year, including 14 new/reopened cases. During this project year, customers in our target population groups include the following: Veterans (5.7%), women (11.4%), farmers over the age of 65 (42.9%), and new/beginning farmers (5.7%). Continued partnerships with funding sources like the PA Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR), PA Assistive Technology Foundation (PATF), and other resources resulted in obtaining the appropriate recommended assistive technology to enable customers to continue in production agriculture. During this project year, AgrAbility PA utilized USDA-NIFA funds to leverage our networking, education, and direct services, $336,000 worth of modifications/assistive technology primarily funded by the PA OVR to enable customers to remain in production agriculture. Education. AgrAbility had 26 opportunities to provide outreach and educational training through exhibits or presentations to a variety of groups, including Rodale Institute, Messick's Farm Equipment, PA Farm Bureau, Amish handicapped gathering, Ag Progress Days, Keystone Farm Show, and multiple groups within Penn State Extension. AgrAbility PA focused on outreach to occupational therapy programs in more than 30 higher education institutions across the state for post-secondary education goals. Last summer, a letter and worksite assessment manual were mailed to OTA, OT, and OTD programs. PA has one of the largest concentrations of occupational therapy programs in the country. AgrAbility PA staff attended and exhibited at the Pennsylvania Occupational Therapy Association conference in September. It resulted in targeted follow-up with AgrAbility PA staff presenting on AgrAbility services, support, and farming with a disability to two college OT programs with additional presentations scheduled for Fall 2023. To broaden our educational reach for specialized populations, we provided training for interns at the Rodale Institute, professional organizations such as the PA Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, and a webinar for Penn State Extension's 'Women Rooted in Ag.' Staff had the opportunity to present AgrAbility, assistive technology, and people-first language to multiple groups within PSU Extension, which already provides new opportunities for us to connect with various programs and groups. Staff continues to work across PSU Extension teams, FRSANS-NE, and other groups to expand awareness of mental health issues in agriculture. Our new partner, PSU College of Nursing, provided an opportunity to have a 'medical minute' PSA spot on WPSU (public radio), which aired in August 2022. We continued work on the online course content and explored the appropriate platform to host the course. Staff participated in several online and in-person training/meetings where new programmatic ideas were generated, and we implemented nine ideas. Due to a timing change, the Ag STEM Design/Build challenge will launch in the fall. AgrAbility PA partnered with the PSU Extension Dairy Team and recorded two podcasts highlighting AgrAbiltiy, which downloads of 76 and 132 for the two episodes. Networking.The Advisory Group met in October for a work session and discussed ways to address our outlined activities better. Their feedback was incorporated into our future plans. AgrAbility PA partners with the National AgrAbility Project (NAP) by actively participating in the conference planning committee, marketing and media communities of interest, evaluation committee, NAP Advisory Board, NAP webinars, and collaboration on multiple projects. Networking activities included activities with PA Farm Link, AgChoice, and Centers for Dairy Excellence. Staff expanded health screenings offered for the 2022 Ag Progress Days by including new organizations. AgrAbility PA PI and co-PI met with faculty from Lincoln University, but Lincoln was not interested in pursuing anything at this time. AgrAbility PA had the opportunity to provide outreach materials for Spanish-speaking farmers in the mushroom industry. We developed a needs assessment instrument to determine AgrAbility PA customers' interest in peer support and volunteer opportunities. We used a paper and pencil survey method to collect data. We mailed the survey to 68 AgrAbility current and past customers. The survey response rate was 17.6%. Twelve surveys were returned, with one client interested in potentially receiving peer support and six people stating they would be interested in being a mentor. Seven respondents are willing to volunteer to assist staff. We will continue assessing our customers' interest in receiving peer support and serving as a mentor or/ and AgrAbility PA volunteers. Staff exhibited and presented at the PA Veteran Farming Network conference in February. The team promoted the Farmer Veteran Coalition (FVC) resources online, on social media, and in other venues throughout the year. AgrAbility PA collaborated with USDA-NIFA in November to highlight Jim Wright's (PA customer) farmer testimonial video. Staff engaged with Rodale Institute's Veteran Farmer Training Program throughout the year, including a two-hour workshop on-site in June. Marketing. Staff exhibited and presented at many agricultural- and disability-related outreach events. Penn State's Ag Progress Days was the first outreach event that drew a large agricultural population. Several fall, winter, and spring events included state and county fairs, PA Farm Bureau's annual conference, Keystone Farm Show, PA Farm Show, PA Dairy Summit, and PA Veteran Farming Network conference - all of which AgrAbility PA staff either served as presenters, exhibitor, attendee, or all the above. Our website offers an enhanced user experience through accessibility tools, like UserWay, and access for individuals needing highlighted links, more extensive text, more profound contrast, different language, and other options. Over 4,000 unique users visited the website, with over 7,000 page views like the previous year. Top page visits include the Homepage, About Us/Staff, Upcoming Events, Success Stories, Resources, and Assistive Technology. The project saw growth in social media reach and engagement, including Facebook: 818 followers (+39), Instagram: 570 followers (+37), and Twitter: 376 followers (+10). Engagement rose with posts with photos/videos and posts related to outreach events, financial resources, networking opportunities, and assistive technology. Social media highlights include: Farmer Testimonial videos were posted to AgrAbility PA's YouTube page in September. Two of the three videos have more than 500 views. All the videos have been promoted in various ways, including: Chelsi Shultz's farmer success story and testimonial video was highlighted by the Pennsylvania Dept. of Agriculture on social media (Facebook) to more than 45,000 followers in October. Jim Wright's farmer success story and testimonial was shared and promoted by USDA-NIFA in November 2022 to recognize Veteran's Day. An overall anthemic video highlighting AgrAbility PA was added to AgrAbility PA's YouTube in September and has been shown widely at events and during presentations. AgrAbility PA participated in the AgrAbility Virtual State Fair (VSF) in October. The month-long social media campaign includes SRAPs and NAP - highlights include sharing success stories, resources, education, and more from across the country in conjunction with National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). AgrAbility PA's print newsletter, Field Notes, was sent to 3,000+ contacts statewide in January. The team also created and produced several handouts and posters on AgrAbility PA Worksite Assessment, Farmer Stress Management Toolbox, Funding Ag Assistive Technology, and Low-Tech Assistive Technology.
Publications
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Progress 07/01/21 to 06/30/22
Outputs
Target Audience:The AgrAbility Project for Pennsylvanians is a partnership between Penn State Extension and the UCP of Central Pennsylvania. AgrAbility's primary objective is to provide direct services to farmers and farm family members who have a disability or long-term health condition and desire to return to or remain in production agriculture. This project has a long history with the PA Department of Labor and Industry' s Office of Vocational Rehabilitation and the PA Assistive Technology Foundation who continue to provide funding resources for modifications and assistive technology for AgrAbility clientsthroughout the state. AgrAbility continues to strengthen its project through partnerships with veteran organizations,specialized agriculture groups (e.g., sustainable, women in ag, newand beging farmers etc.), youth organizations, and governmental agencies. Inaddition to direct services for farmers (Pennsylvania farming population with disabilities including farmers who are aging, beginning, veterans, women, ethnic/racial and other underserved populations), major objectives for this project include educational activities for rural rehabilitationprofessional and rural and agricultural organizations; networking with organizations to increase the capacity of AgrAbilitygoals and to benefit clients, and marketing efforts to increase the awareness of AgrAbility services to the farm population,general public and public officials. Changes/Problems:The primary goal of the AgrAbility PA Project is to provide direct services to farmers and farm family members with a disability to enable them to remain in production agriculture and to enhance their well-being in agriculture. Measurements regarding our customer services including connections to services, acquisition of assistive technology, and Customer Impact Survey results to show the impact of the project. Farm assessments and new OVR protocols were challenging this year, but this remain a priority goal for the project and can be measured by the connections to services and modifications implemented for our customers.The success of collaborations and connections through networking, education and marketing build capacity and increases the project reach.The delivery of some programs and interactions with specific groups continued to be somewhat limited this year because of COVID-19 mitigations and travel restrictions. AgrAbility PA worked with groups to pivot to new educational, networking and marketing activities to continue to meet goals and objectives. AgrAbility began working with new partners to provide various programs and services with specialized populations and this work will continue through the remaining project cycle. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?PA AgrAbility staff presented foursessions for the 2022 Virtual National Training Workshop on the following topics: farmers' stress and resilience, managing stress on the farm women in agriculture conferencing session, Worksite Assessment Collaboration. Staff members participated in training opportunities such as the NAP National Training Workshop, ISASH, and agriculture related training at the state level. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Marketing activities include growth in social media activities, website materials, and participation in the 'National AgrAbility State Fair'. PA Veteran Farming Network Conference. Dissemination of information also includes eXtension, AgrAbilityPA website, month eNotes, printed newsletters, events, workshops, and through Penn State Extension. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Now that travel restrictions and limitations related to the COVID 19 pandemic are being lifted, AgrAbility PA staff participates in hybrid events, during presentations and outreach staff members use a mixed mode of activities to increase awareness of AgrAbility services and recruit customers
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Assistance: Direct services are the primary focus for PA AgrAbility. Staff worked with 30 customers this project year including seven new/reopen cases. During this project year, customers in our target population groups include the following: veterans (6.67%), women (3.3%), farmers over the age of 65 (30%) and new/beginning farmers (6.67%). During this project year AgrAbility PA utilized the USDA-NIFA funds to leverage through our networking, education, and direct services $237,000 worth of modifications/assistive technology primarily funded by the PA OVR to enable customers to remain in production agriculture. In addition to providing demographics and McGill Quality of Life data to NAP, AgrAbility PA used our survey and tracking system to examine trends in the short and long-term impact of modifications and assistive technology on their farm. In January and February 2022, customer impact surveys were sent to 20 customers who had received assistive technology or modifications in the 2018 - 2021 calendar years.In February 2021, customer impact surveys were sent to 17 customers who had received assistive technology or modifications in the 2018 and 2020 calendar years. Sixteen of the 17 customers responded to the survey and indicated increase in herd size (50%), contracts (16%), facilities (33%), workforce (13%), farm income (46.6%), and farm size (12%). Below are qualitative responses from two farmers surveyed:"We bought a farm that has about 50 tillable acres on it and about 100 acres total to add to our operation". Education.Educational activities slowly began moving from virtual to in-person but there was a definite decrease in attendance at many in-person events. AgrAbility had 16 opportunities to provide educational training to a variety of groups including Rodale Institute's Veteran Farmer Training program, multiple groups within Penn State Extension, PA Farm Bureau, PA Association for Sustainable Agriculture, National Training Workshop, etc. For post-secondary education goals, presentations were provided to Penn State undergraduate bio-renewable system class and occupational therapy students at the University of Pittsburgh. We provided training for interns at the Rodale Institute, youth at Elk Lick High School, and professional organizations such as PA Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, Association for International Agricultural Extension Education, and webinar 'Managing Stress on the Farm for Spanish-speaking farmsupervisors. AgrAbility PA continues to adapt by using virtual meeting opportunities to expand our reach with different audiences. Presentations with the Centers for Independent Living provided an opportunity to educate their staff about AgrAbility and the referral process. Farm stress and mental health awareness continues to be priority and AgrAbility staff had the opportunity to work with various organizations and present both in-state, national, and internationally. Staff continues to work across PSU Extension teams, FRSANS-NE, and other groups to expand awareness of mental health issues in agriculture. Our new partner, PSU College of Nursing, provided an opportunity to have a 'medical minute' PSA spot on WPSU (public radio) which will 'air' this summer. Ag STEM Design/Build challenge was launched but there was limited interest, but we will re-launch again next year.? NetworkingNetworking activities are the means to expanding capacity to better serve customers. AgrAbility PA partners with the National AgrAbility Project (NAP) by actively participating in the conference planning committee, marketing and media communities of interest, evaluation committee, NAP Advisory Board and NAP webinars. AgrAbility PA staff presented foursessions at the 2022 National Training Workshop (NTW) including 'Utility Vehicle Safety and Selection' and 'Making Lemonade when Outreach Events Hand You Lemons!'. Collaborations with SRAPs was an outlined activities and this was evident in partnering with SRAPS for both NTW presentations and continued worked with Missouri AgrAbility on shared resources for the Anabaptist community and Ag Safety and Health eXtension Community of Practice. Staff was able to expand health screenings offered for the 2022 Ag Progress Days. AgrAbility Ambassadors was a topic at the 2021 Fall AgrAbility Advisory Group meeting, and we are exploring the logistics to determine the feasibility of this type of model for AgrAbility regarding interest, travel, funding, and training.Our project promoted the Farmer Veteran Coalition (FVC) resources and education throughout the year in newsletter, social media, and other venues. Staff participated in meetings with the PA CARES who assist veterans and their families with successful reintegration back to their families and communities. The annual PA Farm Show veteran centric event was cancelled this year. Marketing.AgrAbility PA returned to in-person exhibiting and presenting at agricultural- and disability-related outreach events in the latter half of 2021. Penn State's Ag Progress Days, a three-day flagship event for the university in August, was the first event and always draws a large agricultural population. Several fall and winter events resumed as usual, including state and county fairs, PA Farm Bureau's annual conference, Keystone Farm Show, PA Farm Show, PASA Sustainable Agriculture conference, and the PA Veteran Farming Network conference - all which AgrAbility PA staff either served as a presenter, exhibitor, attendee, or all the above. The website agrabilitypa.org continues to be a one-stop shop for resources and information related to farming with a disability or health condition. The site offers an enhanced user experience through its accessibility tools, like User Way, and access for individuals needing highlighted links, bigger text, deeper contrast, different language, and other options. Over 3,800 unique users visited the website with more than 7,270 pageviews - that is 1,000 more users than the previous year and 2,000 additional pageviews. Top pages visited include the homepage, about us, Veterans, success stories, and what is assistive technology. Trends show a 10% increase in users accessing the website with a mobile device at almost 40%. Desktop users are the dominant device at 58% and tablet users at 2%.Social media, direct traffic, and Google searches remain the top website referrals.The project saw growth in social media reach and engagement including Facebook: 779 followers (+42), Instagram: 533 followers (+76), and Twitter: 366 followers (+8). The month-long social media campaign included 19 state projects while NAP highlighted success stories,resources, education, and more from across the country in conjunction with the AgrAbility 30th anniversary in Fall 2021.An e-newsletter is sent regularly to 1,000+ contacts with an open rate of 21% -- which is in line with the industry average for non-profits. The average click-through rate is 15% (industry average: 8%). Print newsletters were sent to 3,000+ contacts statewide as well as additional printed materials were mailed to target audiences and stakeholders.AgrAbility PA success stories, resources, services, and more were highlighted in several publications and media outlets throughout the year, including these three prominent stories in highly read agricultural media outlets: Dairy Farmer Chelsi Shultz shared her story with Farm and Dairy in December 2021: https://www.farmanddairy.com/news/agrability-helps-farmers-overcome-health-conditions-to-continue-farming/695332.html Article on AgrAbility PA Gives Farmers with Disabilities Hope for the Future in Lancaster Farming in January 2022: https://www.lancasterfarming.com/news/main_edition/agrability-gives-farmers-with-disabilities-hope-for-the-future/article_37b968fe-0501-506d-8ebb-a518241e6092.html
Publications
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