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March 2002

Nashville, TN is site of 2002 National AgrAbility Conference!
The Tennessee AgrAbility project will be this year’s host for the 2002 National AgrAbility Conference. The date of the conference is October 22-25. The Double Tree Hotel will serve as the conference center. The program promises to be innovative and changed in format structure as compared to past conferences. Keep up to date on this upcoming event through our newsletter or through the National AgrAbility Web site: www.agrabilityproject.org/ and clicking on the link : Early Preview 2002 National AgrAbility Project Training Workshop. Please give us a call if you have any specific questions regarding this conference at 814-863-7868 or 814-238-4434.

New Staff On Board
AgrAbility for Pennsylvania is pleased to announce the addition of Crystal Smithmyer to our personnel as Outreach Specialist. Crystal comes to our project with a strong communications background. She is a fellow of the Kellogg National Leadership Pro-gram and is the former Executive Director of Pennsylvania Council of Cooperatives. She resides in Patton with her husband Gene and children. Crystal was raised on a dairy farm in the Martinsburg area. She also was the writer-editor for a newsletter for college faculty and staff at Penn State in the College of Agricultural Sciences. Crystal can be reached at 814-674-6277 or email at CMSmyer@aol.com. Please join us in welcoming Crystal when you see her.

Seeking Opportunities
AgrAbility for Pennsylvania is seeking opportunities to spread the word about our program and services which are available. Please contact us if you know of an opportunity where we may share with farmers, farm organizations or health care / rehabilitation providers. We would be happy to provide a program or an inservice on what we have available to enable farmers with disabilities the opportunity to continue to farm if they desire to do so. Contact us through one of the phone numbers at the end of this brochure or use our toll free number within Pennsylvania : 866-238-4434.

Fall EPICS Project
The Fall 2001 Engineering Projects in Community Service (EPICS) team designed and built a table top grain bin demonstration unit to be used with farm safety events. The grain bin and gravity wagon demonstration show the ease at which a person can become entrapped in flowing grain, a tragedy that preys upon children as well as adults. A Spring 2002 EPICS team is expanding this model to a large trailer demonstration exhibit.

PA AgrAbility Advisory Council Brainstorms
Attendees at the PA AgrAbility Advisory Council meeting March 26th had a brainstorming session in small groups in the afternoon to discuss the following subjects: Machinery Dealership & Extension Outreach, Bridging Horizons Program, Funding Opportunities, and the Ambassador Program & Outreach . These ideas will be worked into the state program over the next four year grant cycle. A brief synopsis follows:

Machinery Dealerships & Extension Outreach

• Disseminate as a Win/Win approach, showing need for service as well as opportunity for increased sales in future
• Focus on small, as well as, large dealerships and dairy co-ops, pesticide and feed suppliers
• Use farm shows as opportunities to reach a large numbert of dealers at one time
• Target the sales person instead of just the owner
• Include AgrAbility information in milk processors milk checks
• Email Extension agents less often ( once per quarter), reaching all agents
• Include AgrAbility information in state newsletters to Extension agents

Bridging Horizon Program

• Looking at PDF program developed at Purdue University, Breaking New Ground.
• Desire to pattern a similar program for FFA/4-H in Pennsylvania
• Check with Purdue about using materials, tailored for our state
• Challenge is finding award monies that are not grant funds

Funding Opportunities for Project Expansion

• Sponsor a regional or statewide legislative dinner
• Organize fund raising events through student government clubs at PSU campuses
• Focus on 4-H or other organizations for loose change collection for fundraising
• Seek donations of bottled water for AgrAbility events where it could be sold
• Partner with key agribusinesses in holding charity dinners and silent auctions
• Target areas to hold Cow Pie Bingo events, chancing squares prior to event

Ambassador Program & Outreach

• Pattern after Illinois Ambassador Program
• Use “local” people to reach local farmers and be outreach contacts
• Milk haulers, vets, local extension agents,Vocational Rehabilitation staff, Local Assistive Technologies Lending Libraries could be volunteers
• Local farm organizations- give local ownership to a farm organization
• Challenge is “what will motivate volunteers”
• Use state’s agricultural department’s safety events at county fairs
• When exhibiting at county fairs, stay as close to barns

Upcoming Events

• Somerset Farm Safety Day Camp, Somerset, PA - April 20. 2002
• Perry County Safety Day Camp, Perry County Fairgrounds - April 27, 2002
• Cambria Heights Sr. High School Day, Cambria Heights High School - May 1, 2002
• Penn Cambria Middle School Day, Penn Cambria Middle School - May 7, 2002
• Ag Progress Days, Rock Springs, PA - August 20-22, 2002
• Williamsburg Safety Day Camp, Williamsburg Community Fairgrounds - August 23, 2002
• Bedford Safety Day Camp, Bedford Fairgrounds - September 21, 2002

Pennsylvania Stats for AgrAbility - 4/1/01-3/31/02

FROM THE DIRECTOR’S DESK ...
It is such a pleasure to report good news and more good news! I received a call on March 1, 2002 from USDA that the AgrAbility for Pennsylvanians project was being recommended for funding. Since that time, I have been working the USDA staff to answer some questions in our proposal that were not clear. With those questions answered, I anticipate that we should be receiving the USDA contract by the middle of April.

With our new AgrAbility proposal for 2002-06, we strengthened the project team. Specifically, Easter Seals has added an outreach person to address and make contact with special clientele targeted groups. They have identified a very talented person to work in this area. You will be hearing more from this person soon. On the Penn State side of the project, two new people were added. A volunteer management professor, Dr. Robert Lewis, was added and will be advising the project relative to increasing the number and activities of individuals who work with us. You will probably notice the impact already through the advisory committee report. With the retirement of Dr. U. B. Bakker, Phil Hoy was added as our extension liaison. Phil works with a variety of youth programs through the FFA and 4-H. The hope of agricultural safety and health rest with our young and emerging youth. Please join me in welcoming these new individuals.

As we move further into the project objectives over the next years, we are prepared to be focused and effective in accomplishing our project goals and programs. I am encouraged by your continued commitment to AgrAbility as well. If you have questions or comments, please free to contact me.

Dr. Connie D. Baggett
Principal Investigator/Project Director – AgrAbility for Pennsylvanians
The Pennsylvania State University

ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY SPOTLIGHT
FULL-VIEW INTERIOR MIRROR
This Full-View Interior Mirror can be purchased from the J. Harvard Company in Illinois. The mirror provides a 60-foot-wide view at a distance of only 10 feet behind the tractor. Mounted to the tractor’s interior ceiling, the 17-inch-wide by 6-inch-tall mirror can be adjusted vertically, horizontally and tilted in all directions. When operating in the field, monitoring of implements like planters, cultivators, balers or forage harvesters requires the operator to frequently turn his head for visual inspection, which can make a person very weary towards the end of the day. Mirrors make it easier to notice activity behind tractor whether on the farmstead, in the field or on the road. The J. Harvard Company can be reached at 847-438-8127.

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We want to hear from you. How can we serve the farm community with disabilities? If you have comments or suggestions for our program, we would really like to hear them. Stop by and visit with us if you see us at your local event, or call us at 814-863-7868 or 814-238-4434. We are here to serve the farm community.

AgrAbility staff is available for presentations throughout the state! If you would like an AgrAbility presentation at your county or state level event, please contact Linda Fetzer at (814) 238-4434. For more information about AgrAbility for Pennsylvanians or to share any ideas about articles for future editions, please contact either Linda or David.

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