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Winter highlights:
Here’s a quick look at what we’ve been up to this winter season!
Tech Tuesdays
· Weekly social media spotlights on assistive technologies that help farmers and gardeners work more comfortably and safely.
️ Safety Sundays
· Ongoing posts covering essential farm safety topics like grain bin safety, ATV safety, and more.
Conference Season
· Presented at the 2025 VCE Winter Conference and the 2025 AgrAbility National Training Workshop.
· Shared our work at the Virginia Association for Biological Farming Conference and Virginia Beef Expo.
Educational Outreach
· Spoke at Virginia Tech’s Identity and Inclusion in Agriculture course and Farm Safety Day for Mennonite youth. (checkout a video about Farm Safety Day HERE)
· Welcomed Radford OT student, Abbie, who volunteered and gained hands-on experience with our team.
Farm Stress & Safety Education
· Collaborated with Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE) and AgriSafe to deliver sessions on farm stress, wellness, and suicide prevention for VCE professionals. (ADD PIC)
Innovative Tools in Agriculture
· Coordinator Roberto Franco shared insights on exoskeleton use in farming during a national AgrAbility Zoom session.
Farm Dinner Theater
· Presented this unique safety education model at the National Training Workshop, showing how storytelling can drive safety awareness.
Community Engagement
· Partnered with groups like Page County Action Team, VCE Advancing Well-Being and Virginia State Technical Committee (NRCS) to reach more farmers, addressing the barriers to food security, agriculture resilience and community health
Research & Outreach Projects
· Contributed to a Wholesale Market study and led a Digital Literacy in Spanish effort to support migrant farmers.
Program Evaluation Underway
· We’re assessing how well we’re meeting the needs of Virginia farmers—and how we can do even better.
Student Collaboration
· Supported student-led projects at Virginia Tech and Radford University focused on our mission and impact.
Stay tuned for more updates—and don’t forget to follow us on social media!
| Mobile Ag Education Unit:
Virginia State University’s Mobile Agriculture Education Unit is a traveling, interactive classroom that brings hands-on ag education to communities across the East Coast. AgrAbility Virginia is proud to be featured in the trailer, sharing how we make agriculture more accessible through assistive technology, personal stories, and resources for farmers and gardeners with disabilities. Learn more or schedule a visit at ext.vsu.edu/mobile-ed-unit. |
