November was a busy month for AgrAbility PA staff members. A highlight was the return of an in-person event: the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau’s 71st Annual Meeting. Dr. Suzanna Windon and Linda Fetzer both presented sessions at the conference, covering topics on mental health and stress in farming as well as Read more…
The month of September brought the start of fall, National Farm Safety and Health Week, and lots of planning for upcoming events and activities that are resuming in Pennsylvania in the months ahead. AgrAbility PA is prepping for its upcoming Advisory Board Meeting in mid-October as partners, stakeholders, and colleagues Read more…
August brought the return of Ag Progress Days to Penn State University’s research fields. The three-day event is Pennsylvania’s largest outdoor agricultural exposition with over 400 exhibitors from the United States and Canada. It was great to see Life Essentials take at the event. The weather kept staff on Read more…
At age 5, Garvin Schaffer knew he wanted to be a farmer. Despite health and market challenges, he has made that dream come true. Garvin Schaffer, known by his friends as Butch, grew up on Schaffer Farms and began farming at a young age alongside his father. “Farming was always Read more…
The month of May has meant more assessments and evaluations with farmers, planning for future virtual and in-person events, and continuing outreach activities as Pennsylvania shifts from spring to summer. Looking forward to the season ahead! AgrAbility PA Project Director Suzanna Windon collaborated on an NTW virtual presentation on stress Read more…
Staff members Abbie Spackman and Linda Fetzer partnered with Penn State Extension’s Farm Stress Team to host and teach “Communicating with Farmers Under Stress” in an online workshop format. A wide range of individuals with various involvements in agriculture attended the interactive training. The duo also presented an NTW session, Read more…
AgrAbility PA staffers Linda Fetzer and Abbie Spackman provided an in-person and virtual presentation to Penn State University Agricultural and Biological Engineering students. The presentation provided an overview of the AgrAbility project but focused on assistive technology design, utility vehicle selection and safety, and utilized interactive questions and quizzes with the online program MentiMeter. AgChoice Farm Credit featured AgrAbility PA on their weekly podcast, Field Notes. Staff member Kendra Read more…
AgrAbility PA staff member Abbie Spackman and AgrAbility PA’s Occupational Therapist Dwight Heller provided a two-hour training session to PA’s Office of Vocational Rehabilitation. The training session was broadcast through video conferencing to all the state offices. Abbie provided information on AgrAbility, making referrals, farm assistive technology, and AgrAbility farm Read more…
AgrAbility PA staff kicked off 2020 by exhibiting at two of the state's largest agricultural events of the year in the month of January: Keystone Farm Show and 104th Pennsylvania Farm Show. Staff members answered questions, shared resources, and provided hands-on demonstrations. This time of year offers several key opportunities to connect with Read more…
The AgrAbility PA staff spent time in December preparing and prepping for big events at the start of 2020 – two statewide farm shows and other key events and happenings. Looking forward to connecting with AgrAbility colleagues in the coming year! AgrAbility PA partnered with the PA Assistive Technology Foundation (PATF) and Missouri AgrAbility to present an AgrAbility webinar “Alternative Financing Read more…