Maine AgrAbility

While it was a difficult decision, in response to the issues surrounding COVID-19 and requests to not gather in large groups, the AgrAbility NTW scheduled to begin on March 23rd was postponed. The great news is that we were able to secure space at the same location for the dates November 30th – December 3rd, 2020!

AgrAbility Webinar Series: “Smart technology in agriculture & the home: what is it and what is its impact on safety and efficiency?” Wednesday, April 8, 3:00 p.m. ET. The presenter will be Luke Cain, one of the NAP’s OTD interns. More

---

Maine AgrAbility News

Maine AgrAbility is into month two of Boots-2-Bushels (B2B): Boot Camp for Military Veteran Market Gardeners & Farmers. This is a nine-month market gardening education and training program for military veterans and their family members. This program, sponsored by UMaine Cooperative Extension’s Maine AgrAbility in partnership with the Maine Organic Farmer & Gardener Association (MOFGA), takes participants from seed-to-salary in a hands-on and realistic project.

---

On February 11, Ellen Gibson presented a “Gardening Forever: Adaptive Strategies” workshop in Falmouth for Cumberland County residents. Ellen introduced ergonomic tools and techniques to keep flowers blooming and vegetables ripening while keeping aches and pains at bay.

---

On February 22, Richard Brzozowski staffed the AgrAbility display at the Wild Blueberry Conference in Bangor. The event drew about 150 people. Richard presented “Tips for Aging Farmers” to about 60 people during the conference and distributed brochures to all in attendance. On February 27, Richard was interviewed by the Bangor Daily News about his work with AgrAbility and Tips for Aging Farmers.

---

On February 29, Maine AgrAbility hosted its first farm theater event at the Waldo County annual meeting. Staff used the material titled “A new way to deliver health and safety information to farm families,” developed by Dr. Deborah B. Reed, University of Kentucky College of Nursing and the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment. There were 41 people in attendance with a nice mix of farm backgrounds. The audience was engaged and held good discussions after the skits. The event was moderated by AgrAbility with support from the UMaine Ag Mediation team.

---

February 2020 was filled with helpful webinars hosted by one of Maine AgrAbility’s partner networks, Maine CITE.

• Assistive Technology Resources for Case Managers in Maine
• Getting into the Drivers’ Seat – Driver Assessment Services in Maine