News and Events

By Andrea Klahn

During the 2023 growing season, remember to include your health and safety in your farm plans. 

Farming is hard on your body, but there are tools and equipment to help lessen the wear and tear. 

“Sometimes, it’s as easy as adding an extra step and handrail to your tractor or installing an automatic hitch,” says Andrea Klahn, Outreach Specialist for AgrAbility of Wisconsin. 

Since 1991, AgrAbility of Wisconsin has been promoting success in agriculture for farmers and their families living with a farm injury, disability, or health limitation. How can we help you? 

“After enrollment, a rep from the Easterseals FARM program will visit your farm and evaluate your situation,” explains Klahn. “They can take a closer look at equipment and processes. It’s a fresh perspective for your operation.” 

AgrAbility of Wisconsin serves all types of farmers and farms, large and small. This grant-funded program through USDA is free to farmers! You can easily enroll in our program on our website or give us a call. It takes 15 minutes. We ask you basic health information, but no medical records are required. 

The AgrAbility program focuses on information and referrals. Once enrolled in our program you will have a phone call from one of our case workers and set up a farm visit with one of our rural rehab specialists. 

Our rehab specialist will come out to your farm and watch the type of tasks you do on a daily basis. They will give you tips and ideas of how to make them easier with your disability and share ways to help you find monetary funds if needed.

AgrAbility of Wisconsin is a partnership between the UW Madison Division of Extension and Easterseals Wisconsin. Being a grant-funded organization, one of the rules we follow is to not reach out directly to farmers and ask them to sign up for our program. 

We need farmers to contact us. If you know someone with a disability or limiting work condition who works or owns a farm, even works in agriculture, please share our information with them and encourage them to learn more.

Looking for more information on AgrAbility of Wisconsin? Give us a call (608) 262-9336 or visit our website, agrability.bse.wisc.edu.

Andrea Klahn joined the AgrAbility staff in August 2022. Annie grew up on a farrow-to-finish hog and cash crops farm in Lodi, Wis. She has a degree in Life Sciences Communications from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and previously worked in marketing and communications for a dairy cooperative.