While we fancy ourselves Texas Tech fans in these parts (guns up!), we’re big supporters of anyone doing the hard work to make sure there’s a solid future for American agriculture and ranching. One of those organizations is New Mexico State University, whose Cooperative Extension Service was recently awarded a grant from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
As stated in a press release, “The four-year New Mexico AgrAbility Project provides services to the state’s farmers, ranchers and food growers affected by health challenges that make participation in work activities difficult.” One big piece of securing our country’s agriculture is ensuring that anyone who is willing to do the work, has an opportunity to do so. This project will help make that possible.
A unique part of this program is an adaptive farm in Albuquerque's South Valley. Mandy’s Farm will “encourage self-support and self-sufficiency for beginning food growers with disabilities,” according to the release. Other services funded by the grant include recommendations on assistive technology, education and information on how to manage disabilities or chronic diseases in a workplace, and site visits to determine any barriers to completing work or home-based tasks. We hope this program helps more people start their careers in agriculture.