Farmers who have suffered severe trauma can find help to keep doing what they love. The Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, administers the AgrAbility Project.

The AgrAbility Project was created to assist people with disabilities employed in agriculture. The project links the Cooperative Extension Service at a land-grant university with a private nonprofit disability service organization to provide practical education and assistance that promotes independence in agricultural production and rural living.

Those eligible for AgrAbility services may have any type of disability: physical, cognitive, or illness-related. Conditions include amputation, blindness or vision impairment, spinal cord injury and stroke.

“Given the right resources, farmers with disabilities can run productive and profitable farms,” U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says. “The AgrAbility program can provide the resources and tools producers need to enhance their quality of life and be successful.”