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AgrAbility assisting veteran farmers

An AgrAbility project coordinator says having a disability should not limit people from farming.

Erin Kimbrough with Texas AgrAbility tells Brownfield the program helps people with a disabling condition stay in or get into production agriculture.  “A lot of things that we focus on reduce secondary injuries. For example, if you’ve got a really awful knee then climbing in and out of a tractor every day is going to be hard on you, so AgrAbility in general can come in and make recommendations, maybe put more steps on a tractor or maybe to put a lift on a tractor.”

She says the 23 AgrAbility projects throughout the country fund modifications to help farmers overcome physical limitations.  “We work with a lot of veterans. A lot of veterans suffer from disabling conditions.  They’ve spent a good part of their life in the military doing things that are hard on the body and when they come back doing fieldwork can sometimes be kind of difficult.”

Kimbrough says AgrAbility is celebrating its 25^th anniversary this year and is supported by the USDA, land grant universities, the National Farmer Veteran Coalition and other non-profit groups.

Brownfield interviewed Kimbrough at the recent National Farmer Veteran Coalition Conference at Michigan State University.

AUDIO: Interview with the Kimbroughs