For Laurie Hayn, a day in September 2018 changed everything. After her accident, Hayn, who has been married to a farmer for 41 years, was off the farm for a year learning to work with her prosthetics.

Along the way, she became involved with Purdue University and Indiana AgrAbility, a USDA-sponsored program that helps farmers and other agricultural workers with disabilities.

Inside the program

According to Paul Jones, who helps lead the programs from Purdue, there’s currently enough funding to support 21 state or regional AgrAbility projects and the National AgrAbility Project. Four-year grants are awarded through a competitive process administered by the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Purdue currently holds grants for the National AgrAbility Project and the Indiana AgrAbility Project. 

“One of the most important things AgrAbility does is conduct on-farm assessments for farmers with disabilities,” Jones said. “Staff members visit the farm, sometimes for hours at a time, to understand the client’s needs and barriers to completing farm tasks. They often complete assessment reports that can be used for a variety of purposes.”

Jones said AgrAbility helps people in almost any type of agricultural operation with virtually any disability. Traditionally, they focused on physical impairments like arthritis, back problems, amputations, spinal cord injuries, sensory impairments, and many other types of physical disabilities. However, in recent years, partly because of the number of military veterans interested in agriculture, they have expanded services to address farm stress and other mental and behavioral health issues like PTSD.

Continuing to do what they love

AgrAbility has been essential to Indiana farmers since 1991, allowing them to continue in an industry they enjoy and regain their independence.

“I’ve met with some of the providers from whom I received specialized equipment, and I can tell it made an impact for them to see a client like me successfully being able to continue farming and doing what I love,” Hayn said.

Another farmer who’s been helped by AgrAbility, Carl Jenkins, was severely burned in December 1999. With third-degree burns over 70% of his body, Jenkins needed support to continue farming.

“The Lord has helped me keep farming 25 years later with the help of AgrAbility,” said Jenkins.

Ed Bell has been associated with AgrAbility since the beginning of the program. He’s a farmer who is part of the Bell’s Strawberry Farm in Hagerstown. In 1982, Bell and his wife survived a violent attack that left him paralyzed from the collarbone down.

“Probably the biggest thing I’ve gained from AgrAbility was learning to be independent in my daily personal care,” Bell said. “Prior to the peer support programs sponsored by AgrAbility, I depended on attendant care for my daily needs.”

You can learn more information about AgrAbility at IndianaAgrAbility.org or by calling 800-825-4264.

Chris Adam is a freelance writer from Lafayette.