MSU Extension and Michigan Easter Seals have received a four-year, $720,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture AgrAbility program to assist farm operators and workers with disabilities.
Funding will go toward education, networking, assistance and marketing to provide services for farm workers and operators with restrictions resulting from arthritis, back injury, stroke and heart problems among others.
The project will provide education to farmers, healthcare providers, farm equipment dealers and government service providers. The overall aim is to help agricultural workers with disabilities overcome challenges and work efficiently in their farming and ranching careers.
“MSU Extension is an organization that continues to look for new ways to include every member of the public through groundbreaking research and communication,” said Steve Lovejoy, Extension specialist.
Lovejoy and Ken Rosenman, MSU professor of medicine, will oversee the project.
As part of the project, each year MSU College of Engineering professors and students will design and construct equipment that will assist farm operators and workers with disabilities.
More information may be found at the MSU College of Agriculture and Natural Resources communications website.