Maine AgrAbility will feature success stories and resources for farmers and other agricultural workers in a day-long virtual state fair, Tuesday, Oct. 20, on Facebook and Twitter.
Maine AgrAbility provides assistance, education and support to agricultural workers with disabilities. Events during the virtual fair will include videos of clients showcasing the breadth of Maine’s agriculture and solutions to address common limitations faced by agricultural workers related to mental, physical or cognitive health issues.
Stories include veterans serving their country in a new way, women-owned businesses, and students’ first jobs on a farm. The day ends with a video premiere of Managing Farm Stress, with a discussion led by University of Maine Cooperative Extension human development specialist Leslie Forstadt.
Content will be available on the AgrAbility Virtual State Fair Facebook page and Twitter feed (@AgrAbilityVSF). For more information or to request a reasonable accommodation, contact 207.944.1533; leilani.carlson@maine.edu. More information also is available on the Maine AgrAbility website.
Maine AgrAbility is a nonprofit collaboration of University of Maine Cooperative Extension and Alpha One with programming funded through a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
University of Maine Cooperative Extension:
As a trusted resource for over 100 years, University of Maine Cooperative Extension has supported UMaine's land and sea grant public education role by conducting community-driven, research-based programs in every Maine county. UMaine Extension helps support, sustain and grow the food-based economy. It is the only entity in our state that touches every aspect of the Maine Food System, where policy, research, production, processing, commerce, nutrition, and food security and safety are integral and interrelated. UMaine Extension also conducts the most successful out-of-school youth educational program in Maine through 4-H.
About the University of Maine:
The University of Maine, founded in Orono in 1865, is the state's land grant, sea grant and space grant university. It is located on Marsh Island in the homeland of the Penobscot Nation. As Maine's flagship public university, UMaine has a statewide mission of teaching, research and economic development, and community service. UMaine is the state's only public research university and among the most comprehensive higher education institutions in the Northeast. It attracts students from all 50 states and more than 70 countries. UMaine currently enrolls 11,561 undergraduate and graduate students who have opportunities to participate in groundbreaking research with world-class scholars. UMaine offers more than 100 degree programs through which students can earn master's, doctoral or professional science master's degrees, as well as graduate certificates. The university promotes environmental stewardship, with substantial efforts campuswide to conserve energy, recycle and adhere to green building standards in new construction. For more information about UMaine, visit umaine.edu.