Maine AgrAbility

The International Day of Persons with Disabilities—December 3– is a day designated by the United Nations to remind the world of the important work ongoing in communities around the world to address discrimination, marginalization, and exclusion for people living with disabilities.  For this, we’d like to honor Kathy Adams OTL, who spent her career advancing […]

by Ellen S. Gibson Clayton Spinney grew up on a dairy farm and says that his father “could do anything with anything.” Clayton doesn’t think he has inherited that trait from his father, but the variety of work he does around the farm tells a different story. Clayton graduated from the University of New Hampshire […]

Veterans are asking: “Is farming for me?” Boots-2-Bushels is a great starting point to help answer that question. In this 9-month program, assess where you are, where you want to go and take your first steps. Explore agricultural enterprises while growing a community of farmers: building confidence, building networks, building a path forward from a […]

by Ellen S. Gibson. This title and blog inspired by Charlie Brown and the success with my 2020 pumpkin patch. (192 pumpkins to share with friends, neighbors, and goats!)  The Great Pumpkin Recipe Exchange A farmer once told me that pumpkins have little value after Halloween. That seems a shame. The orange flesh of pumpkins […]

by Ellen S. Gibson Caitlin’s Story: A Maine AgrAbility Case Study This is one of the ways Maine AgrAbility assists our clients. And we continue to be there when their needs change over time. Do you have arthritis? It can be as pervasive as Quackgrass. Did you know arthritis is the leading form of disability […]

by Ellen S. Gibson Shea’s Story: A Maine AgrAbility Case Study This is one of the ways Maine AgrAbility assists our clients. And we continue to be there when their needs change over time. October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month. The Office of Disability Employment Policy within the U.S. Department of Labor states, “Held […]

By Ellen S. Gibson These days, the farmer who grows the corn and tomatoes you bought at the local farm store is just as likely to be a woman as a man1. Wow! This statistic embodies a major shift in the historically male-dominated field of farming. Recently, Maine AgrAbility released a poster entitled Yoga Stretches […]

By Ellen S. Gibson Pain spans an entire spectrum from mild to “stop you in your tracks.” Like the weather, the course of your life is unpredictable and there are some things you just can’t control. But many aspects of your physical and mental health are within your control. Being mindful of how the work […]

By Ellen S. Gibson In 2010, I took a 10-month training in Holistic Management (HM) along with other beginning women farmers in the Northeast. I continued HM training for another two years to deepen my understanding. HM strategies are designed to help farmers deal with unforeseen changes, such as those presented by the pandemic, with […]

By Ellen S. Gibson Farming is hard work. Physical limitations- whether from an injury, disability, or an aging body – can be challenging. How do you take care of your animals if you can’t lift a 50-pound grain bag? Get water to the garden if your mobility is limited? Put hay in the barn if […]