Maine AgrAbility

By Brie Weisman, OTR/L, ME AgrAbility. Reprinted with permission from Logger’s Voice. Winter 2024. It’s early morning. The air is cold and damp. You’re dressed for the elements, but a day of workawaits, maybe you’re working the feller buncher, or you’re in the forwarder, or you’re in your selfloader truck. You already notice the soreness […]

Reprinted with permission from Commercial Fisheries News. August 2025. Antonia Small – FishAbility “Whoops!” says Bella, my colleague and traveling companion, as we descend into avalley east of Santa Fe. “We’re two ladies in a Mercedes.” The rental—above our paygrade—had kept us cool through our week in Las Cruces, conferencing at the annualAgrAbility National Training […]

By Brie Weisman, OTR/L, Maine AgrAbility, Fall 2025 Reprinted with permission from Logger’s Voice Assistive Technology (AT) in logging may conjure up images of robots operating tools to harvesttrees. And while that may happen in the future, assistive technology today is considered supportaides for humans to better help get the job done.AT is divided up […]

Logger or forest worker? Stiff, painful, or uncomfortable after a long workday? Check out the “Stretches for Limber Loggers” poster. LogAbility staff worked with loggers and logging safety experts to create a stretching guide poster for workers in forestry and logging. The poster is intended to offer movement suggestions that can be done at various points […]

Learn about tools and techniques to work well and safely with fruit trees and in orchard settings. Saturday, March 15, 202510:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.Black Acres Farm123 Black Road, Wilton, Maine 04294 (Google Maps) Do you have an apple tree you’ve always wondered how to prune? Come join Nick Rowley, University of Maine Cooperative Extension sustainable agriculture […]

The annual Maine Fishermen’s Forum will be taking place this year again at the Samoset resort in Rockport on February 27, 28, and March 1st. Maine FishAbility staff will be available each day in the Healthy Fishermen area located in the Penbay room to provide information and resources. Maine FishAbility staff will appear on fishermen’s […]

By Brie Weisman, OTR/L, Maine AgrAbility, Winter 2023. Reprinted with permission from Logger’s Voice. In logging, an eye injury can occur faster than the blink of an eye. In Maine, eye injuries rank in the top three accident-related injuries. Untreated eye injuries can go from bad to worse in very little time, potentially resulting in […]

By Antonia Small, ERYT-500, Maine AgrAbility, January 2025. I’d rather be with the bears than do yoga,” said Heather Strout Thompson (F/V Gold Digger) when she and I first met. Wild guess: you’ve never set foot in a yoga studio. I mean, it’s hard to know who yoga is for, when it’s advertised as super bendy […]

By Antonia Small, RYT E-500, Maine AgrAbility, November 2024. Years ago, I stood in the kitchen of a Monhegan lobsterman, admiring his new son. His nephews, ages 4 and 2, were visiting. Someone made the comment to the older boys that it would be their responsibility to show the newborn “the ropes.” Our adult brains […]

By Brie Weisman, OTR/L, Maine AgrAbility. Winter 2024. It’s early morning. The air is cold and damp. You’re dressed for the elements, but a day of work awaits. Maybe you’re working the feller buncher, or you’re in the forwarder, or you’re in your self loader truck. You already notice the soreness in your hands, a […]

By Brie Weisman, OTR/L, Maine AgrAbility, Fall 2024. Reprinted with permission from Logger’s Voice. Is sitting for hours on end the “new smoking?” Some people may laugh off thequestion, but the health profession is taking this notion very seriously.Researchers at the Mayo Clinic analyzed 13 studies of sitting time and activitylevels, and found that those […]

By Brie Weisman, OTR/L, Maine AgrAbility, Summer 2024 Reprinted with permission from Logger’s Voice Coordinator for Maine AgrAbility, Bella Russo, and I had the pleasure of conducting a workshop at this year’s (2024) annual PLC Spring Safety Training. We were asked to cover shoulder injuries, a common problem in the industry. For workers, a shoulder […]

heavy mechanized logging equipment in wooded logging site

The annual Maine Agricultural Trade show will be taking place this year again at the Augusta Civic Center on January 14, 15, and 16. Maine AgrAbility staff will be available at our trade show booth each day to provide information and resources about our services to Maine agriculturalists. Maine AgrAbility will also be making an […]